Northside Archives: Worse Beginnings

This season has started quite poorly for the Cubs. Be it errors, a lack of offense, or the clowns paid to sit in the bullpen and blow games, the Cubs find a way to lose nearly every day. There was a time, though, when the Cubs lost EVERY day…or at least every day they played.

Return From The Strike
The Cubs started the post-strike era with many new faces, including manager Jim Riggleman. He was brought in to replace Tom Treblehorn after the 1994 season. The 1995 Cubs were nothing to write home about, but they did have 30-30 man Sammy Sosa. Finishing 73-71 they were mathematically in the race right to the season’s final series eventually losing the Wild Card to the Rockies and finishing just behind the Astros for 3rd place in the Central. That performance helped coax Ryne Sandberg out of retirement for the 1996 season. On paper the Cubs were set to be better in ’96, but some bad breaks along the way saddled them with a 76-86 record (that Bill James says should’ve been 81-81). So the Cubs got a bit younger during 1997, mixing in youth at several positions – most notably 3B Kevin Orie.

1997
But Terry Mulholland got the ball on Opening Day, and that should’ve been a massive warning sign. He was charged with beating the Florida Marlins, a franchise that had loaded up on free agents and turned the team over to new manager Jim Leyland. The Cubs lost that first game to Kevin Brown and the Marlins, but they couldn’t have imagined their losing would continue uninterrupted for so long. The went on to lose 4-2, 4-3, and 8-2 in a sweep at the hands of the eventual World Series Champion Marlins – they never led in the series. In fact, the Cubs would not hold a lead until the 6th inning of the season’s 4th game. They promptly gave it right back in the bottom of the inning. They’d go on to lose that game to the Braves with the help of an untimely error from the SS and a crappy appearance by the washed up bullpen. This is still 1997 we’re talking about, even though it might seem like 2013.

The Braves would finish off the sweep with wins of 11-5 and a 4-0 shutout. With the lovely MLB schedule, the Cubs found themselves then playing their home opener against the very same Florida Marlins. This time it was a 5-3 loss, followed two days later (another scheduling stroke of genius) by a 1-0 shutout. When the Braves followed the Marlins into Wrigley Field, Cubs fans wanted no part of déjà vu. But that’s what they got; a 2-1 loss followed by a 6-4 defeat leaving the Cubs with a horrific 0-10 to start the season. Yes, all the losses came to the eventual World Series Champion and the team that won the Marlins division in the regular season.

So when the Rockies came to town on April 15th, the Cubs were happy to see a new opponent; and possibly register their first victory. Instead they got a 10-7 defeat followed by a 4-0 shutout. Another new opponent would be needed if the Cubs were to win a game. But the Mets came to town and brought rain with them; the rainout provided the Cubs an extra day to mull over their 0-12 start. It also was the opportunity they needed to finally record a victory. But the Cubs lost the first game of the series 6-3 and the first game of the re-scheduled doubleheader 8-2. At 0-14, the Cubs went into the nightcap with very little hope and even fewer fans. Only a paid attendance of 18,484 saw the Cubs score 2 in the sixth and 2 in the seventh on their way to beating the Mets and Dave Mlicki 4-3. There would be some anxious moments when Turk Wendell couldn’t find the strike zone, surrendered two runs, and ended only closed out the game when the tying run stood at second base – but it was a victory nonetheless.

It took 20 days to lose 14 games and get that first win. Over the following 20 days, the Cubs would go 9-10. After the initial losing streak ended, that team went 67-80 the rest of the way, so just remember there’s a lot of baseball still to be played.

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Game 16: Bevy of Errors Buries Cubs

Box Score / Highlights

Star of the Game – Hiram Burgos – .179 (WPA)

Ugly
Soriano’s error. Alfonso was running almost straight in to corral a fly ball that he awkwardly lunged for as it glanced off his glove. Plays like this happen a few times each year when you employ a fielder of Soriano’s caliber.

Uglier
Castro’s error. I’m probably the only one, but I am actually pleased with the type of errors that Castro has been committing this year. He hasn’t been out of position, absent-minded, or even mechanically lazy. But his errors this year are consistently coming at the worst times. Saturday’s was no different, after Soriano’s blunder, a walk and two groundouts (the second of which gave the Brewers the lead) – Castro fielded a slow groundball but couldn’t transfer it out of his glove. He never made a throw, another run scored.

Beyond Hideous
Jackson’s error. Chris Bosio visited the mound along with the entire infield after Ryan Braun’s leadoff single in the 6th. With a runner on first, the pitcher checks with his middle infielders to see who will be covering the bag on a comebacker. No replay showed Jackson making that clear with Barney and/or Castro; so it might’ve happened during this meeting on the mound. After striking out Rickie Weeks, Jackson got that comebacker – he turned toward second ready to start the inning-ending double play…double pumped, and chucked it into CF well over Barney’s head. By a lot.

Not Good Enough For This
Yesterday it was a 3-run bomb in the first, today it was 4 free and needless runs GIFTED to the Brewers. This team isn’t nearly as bad as they’ve looked – but they also aren’t good enough to keep overcoming big, early deficits, extra outs, or unearned runs. Any one of those errors wouldn’t have been so bad – but combined, it gave the Brewers a huge lead they didn’t earn. I’d say that our starting pitchers deserve better, but I just watched Jackson chuck the ball to DeJesus again.

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Game 14: Bullpen Proof

Box Score / Highlights

Star of the Game – Carlos Villanueva (.197 WPA)

Starting Reliever
The 2013 Cubs have a former reliever, now full-time starter, who is carving up the league’s best teams with great efficiency. Sure Jeff Samardzija’s been good – but I’m talking about Carlos Villanueva who has been spectacular. Villanueva has now faced the World Champion Giants, MLB’s best the Atlanta Braves, and one of baseball’s most potent lineups over the last 3-4 years the Texas Rangers. He emerges from that gauntlet with an ERA of 1.29 and three very good starts. On Thursday he was efficient as well, throwing only 87 pitches in 7 innings of work. By comparison, Alexi Ogando lasted merely two-and-a-third while delivering 71 offerings.

Free-Swinging Walker
Part of Ogando’s problem is that he couldn’t throw a strike to Cubs SS Starlin Castro. Cubs’ fans know just how hard that is to do…Castro hadn’t walked once all year, but Ogando threw him 8 straight balls and Castro didn’t even take the bat off his shoulder until the fourth inning after Ogando had been removed. As a point of reference, Castro walked two times in a game only once last year (and one of the two in that game was intentional). Not since June 16, 2011 had Castro walked twice in a 9-inning game without at least one of the walks being intentional.

Back-To-Back
Not only did Castro get his first walk, but Alfonso Soriano notched his first HR of the season. And even better, it followed a 2-run HR from Anthony Rizzo. The Cubs went back-to-back in the third, and Schierholtz hit a long foul ball after Soriano’s HR that nearly found him trotting around the bases as well. To say that the Cubs had an easy time with Ogando would be putting it mildly.

Strike Two, HBP
The weird play of the day goes to Luis Valbuena, who swung at a pitch that also hit him in the second inning. Actually he tried to check his swing, but it was still a strike – which turned out to be a good thing for the Cubs when Valbuena eventually singled to drive in the first run of the game.

Quiet Bullpen
James Russell and Carlos Marmol – or two imposters wearing their jerseys – combined for six consecutive outs, three of which were strikeouts. Something tells me Jeff Samardzija won’t find as much help if/when he’s removed from his start on Friday.

Don’t Panic
Before most of the night games had started on Thursday, the Cubs had a better record than the Angels. A better run differential than either version of the Marlins (Toronto or Miami) or the high-priced Dodgers and Phillies. They’ve given up fewer runs than the vaunted Cincinnati Reds pitching staff (albeit in one fewer game), and scored more than the Dodgers or Tampa Bay. By night’s end they could find themselves a scant 2.5 games out of first place in the NL Central. It’s a really long season and the Cubs have been playing some really good teams…I expect the mood around here will be much better over the next couple of weeks.

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Game 13: Baker Contributes To Another Cub Loss

Box Score / Highlights

Star of the Game – Derek Holland (.483 WPA)

Jeff Baker
No stranger to Cub losses, Jeff Baker helped hang the L flag again at Wrigley on Tuesday night – this time as a member of the opposing team. Baker’s run-scoring double to CF for the visiting Rangers created what felt like an insurmountable 1-0 lead.

Derek Holland
Insurmountable because Rangers starter, Derek Holland was absolutely dealing. Seven innings, 2 hits, 6 Ks, no walks – really Holland’s only trouble was slight inefficiency (and that wasn’t even terrible, a pedestrian 108 pitches in 7 innings). He made Cub hitters look foolish all evening.

Dave Sappelt
Dave Sappelt knows what it is to look foolish; this guy is not a major leaguer. Isn’t the point of a platoon to get a better matchup in the lineup? The other half of Sappelt’s platoon must be a blind midget. He looked uncomfortable, guessing at pitches all night. The Rangers threw him a steady diet of off-speed stuff that he seemed incapable of recognizing, let alone making contact with. He’s not even a great fielder, he just needs to be sent back down.

Roster Moves
And with all the roster moves the Cubs made on Tuesday, it’s a minor miracle Sappelt wasn’t involved. Someone here made a crack when the Dodgers waived Kevin Gregg last week about his career being over. Only it wasn’t…at least not until he’s had another turn in the Cubs’ bullpen. The Cubs first signed him to a minor league deal, and then promoted him to the big league club on Tuesday. They also added reliever Kameron Loe to the bullpen; putting DFA’ing Hisanori Takahashi on the DL and demoting Rafael Dolis.

They also DFA’d Spring Training sensation Brent Lillibridge. His replacement was a waiver pickup, Cody Ransom. As cubs.com put it, Ransom “can help at third base as the Cubs try to find a bat while Ian Stewart rehabs from a strained left quad.” Because the panacea for a team with right-handed role players who can’t hit is a left-handed role player who can’t hit.

Some Perspective
Maybe this will tamp down Chuck’s exuberance at the current pace of 49 wins for the year. The Cubs sit at 4-9 right now. Last year after 13 games, the Cubs were merely 3-10. So for all this talk of underperforming and frustrating results, Dennis Green isn’t surprised.

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Northside Archives: Streaking

If you don’t follow basketball, you may not know the Miami Heat are kind of a big deal at the moment. The reigning NBA Champions just had a 27-game win streak snapped in Chicago by the Bulls last night. The Heat were attempting to break the NBA’s record of 33-straight wins put up by the 1972-73 Lakers. If you’re saying to yourself, “the Cubs might not win 33 games the entire year!” – just remember, it’s only March. No need to be so pessimistic; they’ll probably get at least 43.

Longest Streak Ever
The Cubs longest win streak is an impressive 21 games. More impressive, they’ve had two DIFFERENT 21-game win streaks. Less impressive, the first streak came before Adolf Hitler was born; the second came before most of the world realized he was a pretty bad guy.

Streak #1
In merely their 5th year of existence, the Chicago White Stockings, as managed by Cap Anson posted an incredible 21-game win streak from June 5 through July 8, 1880. Silver, Cap, Joe, Tom, Ned, Abner, George, and King were the regulars. Larry Corcoran and Fred Goldsmith were the pitching staff – between them throwing all but 28 of the 775 IP during the season. Corcoran was 43-14 with 1.95 ERA and 536.1 IP; but really what does that tell you, pitching wins are overrated. At the end of the streak, the Cubs record was 35-3. They had a rough July (because ya know, they were still the Cubs) and would finish with a record of 67-17, NL Champs and 15 games clear of the 2nd place and since defunct, Providence Grays.

Streak #2
On September 2, 1935 the Cubs sat in third place in the NL. First place STL was 2.5 games up on the Cubs, with the Giants in between the two rivals. At 79-52 the Cubs had a very good record to be sure, but 1934 had ended with those three teams in exactly that position with comparable records. By the time the Cubs lost again (on Sept. 27) they had a whopping six-game lead over their rivals and were headed to the World Series. Even after losing the final two games of the season, the Cubs posted an impressive 100-54 record before losing to Detroit in the Fall Classic.

Other Fun Facts

• The Cubs longest win streak of 2012 was a measly 4 games – a feat they accomplished 3 times.
• In 2011, they actually won 7 in a row. Don’t remember it? Probably because it came after a horrendous 8-17 stint.
• Not since 2001 have the Cubs sported a winning streak of 10+ games. That year they won 12 in a row…after they’d lost 8 in a row!
• However, 12 in a row is better than 6 different teams have EVER managed.
• In fact, only 1 team boasts a streak longer than the Cub record of 21. The San Francisco Giants won 26 in a row back in 1916.

This Year?
What your prediction for 2013? More than the 4 game streak in 2012? Less? As for me, I expect our longest losing streak to be longer than our longest winning streak…for a fifth year in a row.

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Morning News: One Week To Go

Seven Days Away
Next Monday the Cubs take the field in the season opener against Pittsburgh. Dale has Castro penciled in as the No. 2 hitter. And Rafael Dolis was eliminated as a contender for the final bullpen spot; that is now down to Zach Putnam, Cory Wade, and Hisanori Takahashi.

Not A Good Sign…
Your high-priced 1B is in a steep decline. Your high-priced 3B is embroiled in yet another PED scandal. Your high-priced SS is old, has no range, is coming off a broken ankle, and you are forced to trot him out there until he willingly quits. Your high-priced CF was hurt in his first spring game and probably won’t return until May (or later). Your closer, returning after a year off from injury, is 42 years old and in his final season. So what do you do Brian Cashman? Acquire the AL’s albatross, Vernon Wells. What’s amazing is that the move probably makes the Yankees better, at least until Granderson returns. If I was a betting man, I’d expect Girardi to retire in late-July/early-August only to be replaced by a hairless no-name who likes to bet the ponies.

Brackets Busted
Did you know that Florida Gulf Coast was younger than you (well maybe most of you) – established in 1997? Did you have them in the Sweet Sixteen? They are the first No. 15 seed to make the Sweet Sixteen. For good measure, there’s a 12 (Oregon), a 9 (Wichita State) and a 13 (La Salle) all crashing the tournament’s second weekend as well.

Useful Shot That
Play the ball where it lies; and Sergio Garcia did exactly that…after he climbed the tree, located his ball, and hit it back into the fairway while facing the wrong direction and hitting one-handed.

Spectacular Wreck
I think it’s totaled.

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Morning News: March Madness Is Here

Cubs Recently
The ladies haven’t been digging the chauvinism so Dave Sappelt provided a long ball but the Cubs lost. And the ladies still don’t dig him…

Nate Schierholtz hit a blast of his own, his trot around the bases gave us time to remember that I comes before E. But the Cubs lost that one too.

NCAA Basketball
The collective productivity of the nation’s employees will once again face a sharp decline this week. The NCAA Tournament starts this week. Brackets are out.

NFL Rule Change
Bears RB, Matt Forte is one of many NFL players – past & present – who believes some of the new rule changes in the NFL are beyond stupid. It almost seems as if the change will guarantee ball carriers are more off-balance when they absorb a hit; they’ll certainly be more upright and easier to bring down.
*(If you can’t wait for the NFL, enjoy some Rugby League from the NRL. Guys hitting each other at full speed WITHOUT pads!)

Arena League Wants Tebow
The Arena League desperately wants to be cool again.

Crazy Woman Dies
Apparently the real woman who inspired the crazy lady in The Natural died this weekend.

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Morning News: Samardzija To Start April 1

Matt Prior Garza On The DL
I’ll be honest, I hate the news today. The Cubs put Garza on the DL. Garza says, “it’s not a setback.” Really? How is that possible, because I would say that missing the season’s first month when you’re a free agent at season’s end is kind of a big setback. And that’s what I like about this least; even if you accept the optimistic ‘he’s not really that hurt’ storyline that the Cubs and Garza are pimping, it means he’ll make maybe 10-15 starts before the trade deadline rolls around. So no matter what the Cubs choose, it will be based on very little current information.

Jeff Samardzija Starts
It also means your Opening Day starter (unsurprisingly) is Jeff Samardzija. If you told any Cubs fan 12 months ago that Jeff Samardzija would be your 2013 Opening Day starter, no one other than Jeff’s mother would expect that to be a good sign. Thankfully, it’s not as crazy a proposition as it would’ve been 12 months ago-but still. Also, it’s just the Pirates and probably AJ Burnett…so the game isn’t lost…yet.

For Doc
The Blackhawks still haven’t lost.

NY HS Basketball Game Miracle Finish
Can’t really describe this video in its fullness.

Dennis Rodman Fancies Himself A Modern-Day Dalai Lama
Predictable friends. A crazy person and Kim Jong-Un.

If This News Is Correct…
Conan O’Brien and David Letterman should retire on the same day as Jay Leno so as to guarantee great ratings for Jimmy Fallon (and/or Jimmy Kimmel) and preempt another Leno coup attempt at NBC in 18 months.

New Pope Soon, New Royal Sooner?
Conclave of pederast protectors in Rome, the British monarch is sick in the hospital.

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Northside Archives: Catching Up With Quade

The other side of the phone goes silent, the starter’s pistol fires, and immediately I know it’ll take about a minute for the greyhounds to cover the nearly 900 meters that separate me from the answer to my question.

“Never shoulda bet on Baker’s Dozen, he doesn’t do well from the fourth position,” is the next thing I heard over the phone. “What was the question again?”

Getting to Mike Quade, a little more than a year after his tenure as Cubs’ manager ended, isn’t the hard part; it’s keeping his attention that I find elusive. I’ve connected with Quade while he was on an outing to Mardi Gras Casino in the Miami area, one of the few places he can get to “watch the doggies turn left during winter,” he tells me. A noted horse racing enthusiast, it’s little surprise to me that he fancies racing of most any kind.

“Well, that could’ve been worse, I had my beard bet the back marker to show so at least I’ll get that.” It’s a phrase that doesn’t mean what I think it means, and it wouldn’t be the last. Quade seems comfortable in retirement, a man at peace with the fact that he is no longer part of the game that’s consumed his life. “Sometimes I close my eyes and imagine I’m Alan Potts or Terry Ramsden nailing the trifecta at the derby.” There isn’t the hint of the man who faced the Chicago media on a daily basis, forced to explain away the struggles of a club mired in mediocrity.

My question is if Quade misses the game, I repeat it. He says, “look kid, I’m headed over to Hialeah later today, and I’m gonna buy the rack. I’ll probably end up getting shut out because some lug-in coughs up a furlong lead to a miler. It doesn’t matter, the worst day at the track is better than any day as manager. I got ulcers in Chicago…no one’s second-guessing how I managed to buy three straight colts that spit the bit. Losing isn’t so painful here.”

I hear the starter’s pistol again. It gives me another minute to ponder what I’m beginning to understand. Quade loves the competitiveness, especially when the losing doesn’t gnaw at him night and day. He’s a baseball lifer and yet I can’t get him to say two words about it – he has a single focus, the game at hand. Racing.

As he gleefully explains his victory (I think) on the latest race, I ask him what he disliked the most about his time in Chicago. “They gelded me.” (I look it up later, it seems unlikely he means that literally.) “I was thrust into the block when Lou left, and no one bothered to look at the sorry bunch of nags they left me with…I was responsible for the losing even though I’d been saddled with a team of wash outs and maidens. It was a long shot from the start.” It seems to be the furthest he’ll deviate from horse-racing speak. (It wasn’t until I’d transcribed it that I realized how wrong I was).

“Sure, I can answer that, but then I need to be on my way. I gotta settle up and get to the taxis before Margaret and Dolores.” What he says next explains it all, “some guys need to be in charge, it’s an ego thing. That’s not me, I was happiest standing in that 3rd base box sending signs in before the pitch. And after I took a few months off, it was obvious that I was even hap…wait Clem, I’m coming hang on.” I heard a bit more, Clem and Mike swapping victory stories of races from their last outing, fighting over who ate the last candy bean and wondering if they could get some more before the first race at Hialeah; Mike had neglected to hang up and I was listening from his pocket. All I heard was the joy of a man without a care in the world, except for the starting time of the next race. He was happy.

*Apparently it’s not as funny as I thought; or maybe just a bit too believable. THIS IS NOT A REAL INTERVIEW.

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