1060 West Addison: A Chicago Cubs Blog

Kosuke is the Sports Illustrated Cover Story This Week

2008-05-02T02:10:23Z

Sports Illustrated's current issue features the Cubs' Fokudome, along with a sidebar about the Cubs' newfound focus on on-base percentage. Speaking through his interpreter about the dreaded "SI cover jinx," Kosuke told the Chicago Tribune that, "I'll try my best not to follow the footsteps of the other people on the cover [and let it jinx my performance]."

Welcome Back, Soriano

2008-05-01T20:11:00Z

Thanks for the three groundouts to begin today's game! I knew that there was something in the Cubs' offense that wasn't clicking, especially after that 19-run offensive explosion on Wednesday.

Note to Lou: It doesn't matter how fast your lead-off hitter is, he still has to reach base in order to steal a base. Soriano has a career .326 On-Base Percentage, while Reed Johnson, his erstwhile replacement over the past 15 days, has a .344 On-Base Percentage. Even The Riot, Ryan Theriot, has a .348 career On-Base Percentage--yet he's batting after the streaky Soriano.

Just because the Cubs have sunk a ton of money into Soriano, it doesn't make sense to keep batting him lead-off with his slump (.175 this year batting average) or even career OBP statistics. The money has already been spent on Soriano--to continue to play him in such a key spot in the order doesn't make the "investment" any less of a disaster for Chicago. Keep Soriano, but bat him lower in the order where a .326 OBP belongs.

The Cubs are Now 15 and 6 on the Season

2008-04-24T04:49:05Z

I've posted a new comic at www.1060westaddison.net to celebrate their best start in, like, forever...

10,000 Wins

2008-04-24T04:46:28Z

Congratulations, Chicago Cubs. Here's to 10,000 more.

The Reed Johnson Bump

2008-04-23T13:35:10Z

Note to Lou, courtesy of XM Radio's "Baseball This AM": With Reed Johnson in the lineup, the Cubs are 11-2. Without Reed Johnson, the Cubs are 2-4. It's still early in the season, but the Cubs' new bald-headed, goateed centerfielder already looks like the leadoff hitter that Jim Hendry was looking for--and the Cubs didn't have to give up 4 pitchers to get him, either.

Ronny Cedeno: First Career Grand Salamie

2008-04-22T21:20:05Z

I never thought that I'd use the words "Ronny Cedeno" and "salamie" in the same sentence before, but I just did. Congratulations, Ronny! The Cubs, despite leaving 12 men on base over the course of today's game, are up 8-1 in the 9th inning after Cedeno's four-run home run.

Comics Updated on Thursdays and Sundays

2008-04-21T02:45:00Z

I've settled into a schedule, updating my 1060 West Addison webcomic on Thursdays and Sundays. I've just posted a new strip tonight!

Scouting Report

2008-04-21T02:41:25Z

Is it weird that I watch the Cubs' upcoming opponents' games when I'm not watching the Cubs, just to "scout" the teams that the Cubs will be facing? Right now, I'm watching the New York Mets take on the Phillies, in preparation of the Mets' upcoming two-game series with the Cubs. (The Mets are down 5 to 4 in the 7th inning.)

Adam Dunn Hits 15 Home Runs at Once!

2008-04-17T13:26:36Z

There's a long-running tradition at Wrigley Field of tossing opponents' home run balls back onto the field. During Wednesday night's game against the Reds, Cubs fans threw 15 balls onto the outfield after Adam Dunn hit a homerun onto Sheffield. Rightfielder Kosokue Fukudome said, "I don't remember that many home runs being hit."

How Much Blame Should a Manager Accept?

2008-04-16T15:05:57Z

In a story by Cubs.com writer Carrie Muskrat, Aramis Ramirez is quoted as saying that, "[Dusty Baker] is a winner," because of the back-to-back winning seasons that the Cubs posted during Baker's first two years as manager. In the next breath, however, Ramirez said that Baker shouldn't be booed by fans because he doesn't "think that [the losing seasons in 2005 and 2006] were the manager's fault."

Even Piniella got in on the praise: "I don't see any reason why Dusty should be booed. He came in here and won a division. He got the team to one game from going to a World Series. The next year, they had a nice run, and then things went a little backwards. Is that the manager's fault? I don't think so."

So which is it? While a lot of players have expressed fond memories of Baker's four years on the North Side, I don't think you can cherry-pick what seasons best represent a manager influence. To say that Baker was responsible for the '03 and '04 winning seasons but not for the '05 and '06 seasons is faulty reasoning.

In a study by the Wall Street Journal, Baker ranked 11th out of 20 current MLB managers when using close games, wins above expectation, and player performance as measurements. (Lou Piniella ranked one spot lower.) It's interesting to note that such "winning" managers as Clint Hurdle, Jim Leyland, Eric Wedge, Joe Torre, and Terry Francona took the bottom five spots in the study.

If the statistical analysis proves anything, it's that managers' impacts upon their teams wins-and-loss records are greatly exaggerated. Or, as the top-ranked Ron Gardenhire said, "I don't know how you rate managers. They love you. They hate you. It just depends which inning.''

Alfonso Soriano: Injury Report

2008-04-16T00:42:27Z

Soriano injured his right leg while making a routine catch in leftfield. The injury occurred in the first inning of Tuesday's game against the Cincinnati Reds. The Cubs are calling the injury, which happened when Soriano made his trademark "hop," a "right calf strain." It's a good thing that the Cubs held onto leftfielder Matt Murton in the offseason. Murton may not hop around after catches, but he's a durable replacement with a career .296 batting average--.15 points better than Soriano's, by the way.

20 Years Under the Lights

2008-04-15T23:59:02Z

Tonight's Cubs game marks the 20th full season of night baseball at Wrigley Field. The lights were installed in 1988, with the first official game occurring on August 9 vs. the New York Mets. According to the Medill News Services' Anthony Pura, 1989 marked the first full year with lights at Wrigley, when 17 games were played at night. "Currently, a city ordinance restricts the Cubs to playing only 30 night games per season at home. Most teams in the National Baseball League have more than 50." While fans have warmed to the idea of night games at Wrigley, neighborhood residents haven't. "Residents in Wrigleyville and the surrounding area are concerned about the amount of traffic, noise and crowds of thousands that likely would disturb the neighborhood at late hours," according to Pura.

Ode to Dusty: A Limerick

2008-04-15T23:34:38Z

Dusty Baker rode into town,

With his toothpick and trademark frown.

He did great things,

But it still stings

That he failed to turn things around.

MLB.TV and Yahoo! Sports Pool Resources

2008-04-15T23:18:32Z

As an annual MLB.TV subscriber, it came as a bit of a shock to see the MLB.TV player co-branded with Yahoo! Sports on Monday. While MLB.com will continue to handle MLB.TV sales and subscriptions, subscribers will be treated to a barrage of clickable video ads from Yahoo. On the positive side, premium placement of MLB.TV on the Yahoo portal should place baseball front-and-center for a lot of Internet users and only help to expand the popularity of the game.

New Comic Posted at 1060WestAddison.net

2008-04-14T20:41:39Z

Click here to view the latest comic.