New!! - Cubbie Nation Power Rankings
Filed:January 2nd, 2009
Al Yellon/Bleed Cubbie Blue
I still prefer the Fall Classic.
Not even a couple of seasons as an Andy Frain usher in the old Chicago Stadium was enough to turn me into a fan. It just never took.
But as a baseball-crazed fan dreaming fondly of warmer times, and counting the days to Spring Training, it was nice to see a vibrant, populated Wrigley Field. I appreciated seeing a few fan shots of Wrigley in the winter, so I figured that you might too.
That said, this is as good a time as any to start taking a look around the league to see the progression of things. Baseball is almost here again, after all. And while the free agent signings haven't advanced along as far as we might have hoped, we're certainly far enough into the off-season to get a feel about who is serious about winning in 2009.
As such, welcome to the Power Rankings, a new piece that we'll be featuring here at Cubbie Nation. Although you should expect from here till Opening Day to see it once or twice a month, it's slotted as a weekly article from then on out. Continue>>
DeRosa traded:The New Year isn't so happy
Filed:December 31st, 2008
Take back everything good that I've said about Jim Hendry.
In moves that make me wonder if Dusty Baker has returned from the managerial graveyard to haunt the front office, Mark DeRosa has been traded to the Cleveland Indians for a trio of minor-league pitchers.
You guys know me by now. I've no problem with shipping DeRosa out of town. I sell high on principle, so with one year left on his deal, and coming up on 35 years old, this was probably the best time to thank him for his services...and ship him on his way.
And while I do realize that with the sagging free agent market, it was probably more appropriate for many would-be DeRosa suitor to go that route, rather than deal prospects. I mean, Brian Fuentes couldn't even clear 20 million on the market in signing with the Angels, so I think we can all agree tis better this year to bargain shop. But there are still a half-dozen teams that would love to have Mark DeRosa specifically -- if the Peavy debacle was any indication -- so you'd expect that Hendry would get a nice return. And by nice, I mean someone able to help make significant improvements to the 2009 club.
Instead, he gets two A-prospects in Chris Archer and John Gaub, and Triple-A reliever Jeff Stevens. None of which are among the Indians' top twenty prospects, by the way. Continue>>
Outfielders, outfielders, outfielders!!!
Filed:December 21st, 2008
Bradley. Abreu. Dunn. Ibanez. Etcetera. Etcetera.
I love these guys. I really do. As a fan of plain old baseball entertainment, I've enjoyed these guys for years.
Who can think of Bobby Abreu without remembering his sweet, elegant grace in the field and at the plate in his prime? Remember the 2005 All-Star Game?
Or the way that Ibanez has carried himself for years now; in my mind one of the benchmarks of how the modern-day baseball player should carry himself. I live thousands of miles away, see maybe a half-dozen Mariners games a season, and even I realize that he's the consummate pro.
And let's not even get started on Adam Dunn. You need only see one of those rocket shots out of Wrigley -- and onto Sheffield -- in person to realize he's a beast; you know, when he's not striking out. Continue>>