|
|
|
Dark Ages: History of the Negro Leagues in America
The sport of baseball is often referred to as the "national pastime." For years it has played an important role in many people's lives, providing heroes and idols for millions of children and providing numerous memories of "spring eternal" for many...
How to Choose an Elliptical Trainer that Suits Your Needs
When choosing an elliptical trainer, you'll want to consider a variety of things to determine which elliptical machine will best suit your needs. You should pay attention to the quality and durability, features, brand reputation (important when...
India's chances at Commonwealth Games 2006
The fragrance of Commonwealth Games 2006 is all around and the
Indians are assessing the chances of Medals in it. Having won
the bid to host the Commonwealth Games in the year 2010, it's an
issue of great speculation and interest to witness how...
Ness Notes (Jan 5)
Here's the simple strategy all sports bettors SHOULD have
employed over the recently completed 2005-06 bowl season. Rule
No. 1 was to take any underdog of six or more points. That would
have produced a record of 13-1 ATS, as only Louisville...
The Road More Travelled
With Larry Brown, you’re never quite sure if he is coming or going. What’s almost certain is he isn’t staying - for long. Speculation that Brown might bolt the Pistons to become the Knicks’ floor boss next season has been rampant since the...
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
Cubs back in the chase (is it for real??)
Cubs back in the chase (is it for real??)
Just when most everyone (including myself) was ready to put the proverbial nail in the Chicago Cubs coffin, looks as though they are back in the NL Wild Card race to stay. After soundly thumping the Pittsburgh Pirates once again at Wrigley on Friday Afternoon, they currently sit 4 ½ games behind Atlanta and look ready to pounce despite a rash of injuries to their starting rotation and offensive lineup.
I must give credit to the much maligned Dusty Baker for keeping this team together when it appeared they were likely candidates to fold up like a tent. Also, much praise goes out to the guys who filled in on Kerry Wood and Mark Prior while they were on the disabled list, Glendon Rusch and Sergio Mitre. Baker has plenty reason to be optimistic. "We feel very good and confident that we finally got our pitching staff back that we were starting with," Baker said. "When you can put a guy like Rusch in the bullpen and Sergio, it builds everything. Now it's kind of the glue putting the pieces of the puzzle together. I feel a whole lot better having those guys back. It's like having your whole army back."
Now comes the hard part for Chicago; they begin a critical stretch of 16 games in 16 days. After finishing up the Pirate series, they head to Cincinnati and then face the NL Central leading Cardinals. When they finish up this stretch at home vs. Arizona and San Francisco, we’ll all have a better idea of where the Cubs stand as contenders or simply another tease to the long suffering faithful.
This team still has issues, namely in the bullpen and
in the outfield, where centerfielder Corey Patterson was recently optioned to Triple A Iowa, and Jerry Hairston Jr. looks like the current incumbent and lead-off man. In leftfield, the Jason Dubois/Todd Hollandsworth experiment failed to produce the results the team was hoping for. Cubs GM Jim Hendry will be looking to add another bat, after coming up short in pursuit of Preston Wilson and Mark Kotsay. A package deal with the Tampa Bay Devil Rays for Aubrey Huff and reliever Dannys Baez remains a possibility; which would help sure up the bullpen as well, with the demoted Patterson and a couple minor leaguers dealt to Tampa in return. The Cubs also hope to have shortstop Nomar Garciaparra back in the lineup within the next month, which would help ease the burden on Derrick Lee and Aramis Ramirez. Baker has remained quiet on commenting on team needs in the trade market. "I can't say that," Baker said. "It'd be like me asking you what does your company need, a cameraman or a reporter. That's a good question, but a question I can't answer. I have to go out and tell these guys to give us all you've got. We talk about that in private."
Whether the Cubbies acquire offensive help or not, as long as they have Wood and Prior healthy at the same time for the rest of the season, you can’t help but believe they will remain right in the middle of the hunt in a very crowded chase for the NL Wild Card.
About the Author
John Onan (ego74) is sports writer/moderator at the online players union (www.theopu.com) and football contributor at www.realfootball365.com
he can be reached at nay7201@mail.com
|
|
|
|
|
|