April 2008 Archive
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 ***Since he's single handedly destroying the Brewers tonight I figured it was time to re-run this post I wrote last week.
While there have been a lot of things to be happy about with this Cubs team this season, the player I am happiest about is C Geovony Soto. Soto is the co-leader for Rookie of the Year at this point, with teammate Kosuke Fukudome, as he's hitting .353 with 3 home runs, 14 RBI's .337 with 6 home runs and 20 RBI's and has an on-base% well above .400. I think we all saw what Soto brought to the Cubs last season at the end of the year but I had no idea that he had the patience at the plate that he has (13 15 walks). He is already be one of the top three catchers in the NL when it comes to offense.
Defensively, Soto is about league average, or a little above, and still a work in progress. He is a hard worker, as evidenced by the time he has put in already this season working on his footwork and throws to second. Maybe most importantly is the fact that Soto works so well with the pitching staff and really has a knack for communicating with them. Whether he's had to get in the ear of Carlos Zambrano or build up the confidence of Rich Hill, Soto has been there to play the part of camp counselor. It seems that he understands that the most important aspect of catching is being able to bring the best out of the pitchers.
I think we were all hoping for Soto to have a good season this year but with the start he's gotten off to I think that expectations are rising. Luckily for Soto, it looks like the sky may be the limit for him.
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It looks like Mike D'Antoni is out as the Suns head coach after their first round playoff exit so, of course...it's time for me to push him as the Bulls next head coach. Why??? I'm not really sure.I really don't...
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This wasn't exactly the way the Cubs wanted to start this nine game stretch of games against NL Central foes as they lost to the Brewers last night 10-7. The Cubs fell behind early as Mike Cameron doubled in a...
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After losing the first game of the"vendetta" series against the Cincinnati Reds the St. Louis Cardinals looked to get back on track with a victory on Tuesday. The series picked up the vendetta moniker after comments made by ex-GM Walt...
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****Major hat tip to The Big Lead for posting this picture of the upcoming issue of SI.I no longer have a subscription to Sports Illustrated since almost all of their articles are online and there were too many ads in...
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The Cubs host the Brewers the next three nights as they begin their toughest seven day stretch of the season. Both teams come into the series after losing two out of three to teams they should have beaten (Cubs/Nationals, Brewers/Marlins),...
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In case you weren't able to see Reed Johnson's diving/tumbling catch into the left-center field wall on Saturday night, here is a screen cap of it from Comcast Sports. This may have been the greatest catch I've ever seen. All...
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Let's hop into the time machine and go back to my April 7th post:I call this series, "The Beginning" because it's the beginning of a stretch of games for the Cubs against a relatively easy schedule. They have the Phillies...
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Maybe these Cubs aren't so different? Just when you think the team is about to take off and run away with the NL Central they go and lose two out of three to probably the worst team in the National...
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The ups, the downs, the indigestion, and the lack of digestion (she wouldn't make me a sandwich) can all be found verbatim at Arin it Out where I liveblogged the draft with the GM, Kelper, and a few surprise guests. ...
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The Cardinals/Astros matchup has been gaining steam ever since the Pujols slide debacle earlier this season. The rivalry took another step this weekend with the benches clearing twice, once on Saturday and once on Sunday. Neither ended up in an...
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In every draft there are a couple of fellows who sneak up a little higher than you would expect or who go low and then turn out to be diamonds in the rough. In this post I will give you...
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The NFL is arguably the most successful of the big three sports establishments in the nation. But it, is not a perfect entity. The signing of Jake Long by the Miami Dolphins as the first pick in this year's draft...
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It took me a good five minutes to figure out whether capitol was spelled "capital" or not....at least you have the picture with the huge headed Washington Nationals mascot to steal your interest. The Cubs head to Washington to do...
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For those of you who will be sitting at home watching the NFL Draft this weekend and need someone to talk to about the picks because your wife doesn't know the difference between Jake Long, Chris Long and third and...
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Just when it looked like the Cubs were on their way to pulling out another tough fought game....Ryan Theriot dropped the ball on a double play transfer to end the 8th inning, the Rockies scored the go-ahead run and then...
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As Erin said yesterday in the comments, the Cubs had the opportunity to win their 10,000th game as a franchise last night and they did it with a 7-6 win over the Rockies in 10 innings. I'm not sure what...
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The Cubs travel to Colorado as the hottest team in the National League and on their way to taking over the universe. The Rockies wait for the Cubs as losers of three straight, including being swept in a two-game series...
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As I sat around last night basking in the glow of the Cubs winning 7 out of 8 during their home stand and 14 out of their last 18 I began to think about why this Cubs team seems so...
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Ronny Cedeno had five RBI's yesterday as the Cubs completed a two game sweep of the Mets with a 8-1 victory at Wrigley Field. It was the fifth win in a row for the Cubs and they've now won 8...
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I was just reading the PostCards Q&A post by Derrick Goold over at the Post Dispatch and the following question was asked."This is a general question about baseball that has always bugged me, and I was hoping to find an...
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Coming quickly on the heels of signing G Devan Dumes for the 2008 season and F/C Bobby Capobianco for the 2009 season, Indiana has signed the top player in Alabama in 6-4 guard Nick Williams. Indiana University men's basketball coach...
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Dear Mr. Sheets,I drafted you in the seventh round of my fantasy baseball draft this season in the hopes that you would finally be healthy in your contract year. I've heard the complaints of my fellow GM's as they've dealt...
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The Cardinals looked to get back on track last night against the Milwaukee Brewers after losing two straight to the lowly Giants. They were able to pull off a 4-3 victory, but not until a little bit of funny business...
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Just when it looked like the Cubs were on their way to squandering a game by making two quick outs after loading the bases in the eighth inning.....the Cubs Kids Corps came through. It started with a Ronny Cedeno two-strike...
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For those of you wondering why I put the number of the series up, it's because if you want to get into the playoffs, you have to win as many series as possible. Pretty simple, no? Anyways, somewhere along the...
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It all started on Friday with Sports Illustrated cover girl Marisa Miller making throwing out the first pitch relevant and it ended with the Cubs sweeping on Sunday. A lot of things happened in between but all in all it...
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No intro this week......straight to the Shenanigans!NBA Playoffs - The NBA kicked off the 2008 playoffs this weekend. There were a couple of good games, notably the Suns/Spurs and Pistons/76ers matchups, but the rest were just kind of blah. Some...
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I have taken a lot of flak and questioning at the hands of you scum and villainy for my desire to see the Indianapolis Colts select Cliff Avril in the upcoming draft. I don’t mind it. It has all...
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Since a day or two after becoming the Indiana University men's basketball coach, Tom Crean has been on the recruiting trail attempting to formulate a competitive team for next year. In the last few days he has began to see...
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St. Louis is constantly tauted as one of the best baseball cities in America. Home to what some may refer to as the most dedicated, passionate and die-hard fans around. It has been this way for years upon years. Ever...
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The internet is a sarcastic place. Everybody mocks someone else. Why should the CobraBrigade be any different? For the handful of you that come around for the football coverage, your Bruce Paine got together with the GM over at Arin...
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The Cubs swept the Pirates last week and look to do the same this weekend after taking two games from the Reds. Two of the games against the Pirates went to extra innings so these guys won't go down without...
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I've done my fair share of Tyrus Thomas bashing, and although it was well deserved......all one sided feuds have to come to an end. So, my personal dislike for Tyrus Thomas is over and he has a clean slate heading...
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The Cubs dropped their series finale to the Reds as Ted Lilly struggled once again as he's still winless on the season after throwing six innings yesterday. The Cubs took the first two games of this series so I'm not...
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Big news around Indiana this morning. EARTHQUAKE! Take cover.....get under a door frame or whatever. I'm not exactly sure what you are supposed to do during an earthquake because well.....I live in Indiana. In grade school we would hide under...
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I woke up this morning at 5:16....I remember it distinctively because I looked at the clock and thought that only Buck Rampage had the nerve to go into work this early. So, instead of getting up and getting ready for...
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While reading about the stupid phenomenon of throwing 15 balls onto the field I ran into this little nugget....Speaking of guarantees, Carlos Zambrano guaranteed Thursday morning that he'd hit the centerfield scoreboard with a home run during batting practice this...
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It's all fun and games until someone gets hurt and the probability of someone getting hurt greatly increases when people decide they are going to throw baseballs back onto the field after a Reds home run. I understand the tradition...
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Not even 24 hours after twin towers Aaron Gray and Tyrus Thomas combined for 45 points and 26 rebounds in a victory over the Raptors, the Bulls have fired Interim Head Coach Jim Boylan. Well, that was fun. Even though...
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In order to win you not only need to know what your strengths/weaknesses are but also those of your competitors. I wrote off the St. Louis Cardinals before the season even began but now they have a record of 11-4...
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The Cubs dominated in all facets of the game last night as they beat the Reds 12-3 in a game that was played with up to 30mph winds blowing out to left field. Carlos Zambrano led the way on the...
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It's nice to see Tyrus Thomas out in the community with Bulls legend Bob Love spreading the.....love? Um....we'll go with....spreading the power of reading! Yes, that's right. My Uncle Rob actually sat next to Love on a flight and said...
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I have to say that I'm a bit jealous that this happened to her and not me but....Erin from Beantown West had the pleasure of taking in a Dodgers game the other day......from a luxury suite......with a visit from Dodgers...
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Ah yes, would you like the good news or bad news first?? The good news is that the Cubs bats woke up last night as the beat the Reds 9-5 in a game that was filled with drama. Derrek Lee,...
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I love watching my Colts on the television. They are a fun team to watch. One of the overriding truths about the Indianapolis Colts is that they have the ability to convert any third down and the ability to make...
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All baseball teams go through injuries during their season but it seems that the Chicago Cubs have some of the wackiest injuries in all of baseball. With Alfonso Soriano getting injured last night while doing his patented 'hop' while catching...
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Not only does Dusty Baker return to Wrigley Field this week but so does....Corey Patterson! Nice. I'm a huge Patterson supporter and I feel that he was totally jerked around by....Dusty Baker when he was with the Cubs so of...
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When the Cincinnati Reds make their first trip into Wrigley Field this season tonight they'll be carrying some extra baggage as former Cubs manager Dusty Baker makes his return. Boy, this is going to be weird. Not weird like seeing...
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At first 151 points screams out at you and says...."We score a lot of points and and enjoy ice cream at Baskin Robbins!!!"......and then you read this:“It definitely wasn’t a playoff atmosphere,” Bulls forward Joakim Noah said. “Put it this...
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With the draft looming on the 26th and camp soon to follow. The depth chart has to be evaluated and need will be debated in the Colts war room. (Though, knowing Polian, it is probably all settled out by this...
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Well, we are finally down to the last week of the regular season for the NBA and instead of fighting for playoff positioning, the Bulls are setting up their vacation plans. Awesome. Over the weekend the Bulls had two games...
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After sweeping the Pirates to begin their first road trip of the season it looked like the Cubs were just about ready to take off and run away with the NL Central (not really).....and then they went to Philadelphia. First...
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I've covered Cubs P Jeff Samardzija a couple of times before (here and here) and I'm sure you all know him by now so there isn't a need to get into his history too much. Samardzija has been able to...
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It was a pretty exciting weekend around the Bloomington are this weekend as the Little 500 took place in Armstrong Stadium at Indiana University. I was looking forward to attending the race until I noticed the 40° temperature and rain...
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First off I'd like to apologize for my absence the last week or so. I know you have all been chomping at the bit for some Rampage home cooking. Or more likely....you all haven't even noticed I was gone. Anywho,...
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I went over this a little bit last season with the A-Rod slide into second base, but since it's kind of popped up again the last few days....let's make another run at it. Plus, it's nice to talk about general...
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Bulls C Joakim Noah is tired of losing and he's tired of the environment surrounding the Bulls this season and it sounds like he's ready to do something about it."It's a disease, and it spreads throughout the whole team," Noah...
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Usually when the Cubs have played 27 innings of baseball they hop on a plane and head to the next city. That's not the case this week as the Cubs followed up their 12 inning affair with the Pirates on...
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The Cubs are six games into the season and people are already calling for Reed Johnson to be the starting centerfielder for the Cubs. No. No. No. A thousand times no. A million times no.First, between the two of them,...
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For most of us, being a starting pitcher in the big leagues would be a daunting task....now imagine doing it two days before undergoing surgery for Thyroid Cancer. That's exactly what Arizona SP Doug Davis did last night as he...
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It's finally official, the Bulls will not be going to the playoffs after they dropped a game to the Heat last night. The Heat. This is how bad things are going right now, the Bulls just lost to a team...
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So I'm watching the Orioles/Rangers game through the Yahoo! Gamecast today and I figured I'd check out how Orioles CF Adam Jones has been doing this season since he was the big name coming back to the O's from the...
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I really enjoy having Mark DeRosa on the Cubs but he now has two very costly errors in only seven games this season. Is it time to start thinking about other options at second base for the Cubs?When DeRosa signed...
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What a great game and what a tough way to lose for Memphis. You have to credit Bill Self for coming up with the strategy to start sending Memphis to the line with over two minutes left in the game,...
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You know that old saying, "A win is a win is a win is a win...."? Well, this was a win but it sure didn't feel like it after the Cubs gave up a 7-0 lead because of poor pitching...
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Well, it all comes down to the Kansas vs. Memphis game tonight. Both teams are chock full of talent. Both teams can score. Both teams can shut you down. Both teams can run for days. Both teams have been dominant...
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I call this series, "The Beginning" because it's the beginning of a stretch of games for the Cubs against a relatively easy schedule. They have the Phillies at the end of this week but over the next three weeks they...
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I'm not sure there can be a must-win series this early in the season, but with the Cardinals (5-1), Brewers (5-1) and Reds (4-2) off to hot starts this season it was extremely important that the Cubs won at least...
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The Astros aren't the force that they used to be in the National League Central but they can't be taken lightly as they still have the offense to get the job done. The Cubs should have the advantage as the...
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With Carlos Zambrano on the team you never know what you are going to write about and this time it's his issue with cramping up during his outings. Apparently, Big Z is a big fan of drinking quite a bit...
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Well, that whole 'Alfonso Soriano hitting second' experiment didn't last long as he has now started the season 0-9 and will be moved back to the leadoff spot on Thursday:''I'm going to put [Alfonso] Soriano back in the leadoff spot...
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The t-shirts have already been made and the press conference is just about over. Things are going to be quite different in Bloomington. The program is going to be clean. The coaches are going to embrace the tradition and they...
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The Cubs head into the game today hoping to hold off on having their first losing streak on the year. In order to do my part to help, here's an idea the Cubs should use over the next two games...
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Well....there you go. With Drew Gooden out again with an injury, Tyrus Thomas got his second consecutive start for the Bulls last night. Everyone should be happy now. Kind of. In one of his finer "efforts" of the season, Thomas...
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The St. Louis Cardinals came out firing on all cylinders for their opening game of the season on Monday. After working up a 5-1 lead against the defending National League Champion Rockies, the weather decided to rain on the day's...
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Former Marquette Head Basketball Coach Tom Crean will be announced as the new basketball coach at Indiana University this morning and it seems that excitement is running rampant around the IU Program once again. There is so much to talk...
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The NFL is now going to allow a defensive player on the field to have a radio receiver active in his helmet the same way they do offensive players. At face value, this is a move towards leveling a playing...
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In a move I couldn't really be happier about, ESPN's Andy Katz is reporting that Indiana University is nearing an agreement with Marquette's Tom Crean to be the next basketball coach at IU (It's official):Trying to put a tumultuous few...
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It seemed that every time something went wrong during the game yesterday Bob Brenly and Len Kasper, the Cubs announcing crew, said that all the fans and Chicago newspaper columnists would be complaining today that the Cubs were doing the...
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In a turn of events that seem very April Fools Day-ish, Armon Bassett and JaMarcus Ellis have been dismissed from the Indiana University Basketball Team.Those people say Bassett and Ellis missed a pre-arranged appointment late last week, and Dakich told...
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The Cardinals looked to start the MLB season off on the right foot on Monday, but were postponed by the unstoppable force that is Mother Nature, that ungrateful bitch. The Cardinals opened the season in St. Louis versus the Colorado Rockies with...
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2008 Cubs Preview
