The Chicago Cubs March to the 2008 World Series

The Chicago Cubs are proudly celebrating the 100th anniversary of their 1908 World Series Championship. And there is no better way to do that than to win it again. Ryan Dempster agrees
This is the team that will do it.

Starters
C-Geovany Soto
1B-Derrek Lee
2B-Mark DeRosa
SS-Ryan Theriot
3B-Aramis Ramirez
LF-Alfonso Soriano
CF-Felix Pie
RF-Kosuke Fukudome

Bench
SS/2B/3B-Ronny Cedano
1B/OF-Daryle Ward
OF-Matt Murton
C-Henry Blanco
2B-Mike Fontenot
CF-Sam Fuld

Pitching
R-Carlos Zambrano
L-Ted Lilly
L-Rich Hill
4th and rth starters are not known. Going for the spots are
R-Jon Lieber
R-Jason Marquis
L-Sean Marshall
R-Ryan Dempster

Even Kevin Hart and Sean Gallagher could nab a starting spot or at worst bullpen. Speaking of
Bullpen
R-Carlos Marmol
R-Kerry Wood
R-Bob Howry
L-Scott Eyre
L-Neal Cotts
R-Michael Wurtz
R-Jose Ascanio

The pitching is tough to pin down since there are so many names. With 9 potential SP, a few of the youngsters, they should be able to make some trade deadline deals.

19 roster invites

Positives
-Major upgrades in RF and Catcher
-A possible stud closer if Marmol gets the job
-Quality pitching depth
-Playing in a weak division
-Lou

Negatives
-Will Theroit and Pie deliever or be easy outs
-No strong lefty out of the pen
-No power off bench
-Soriano still leading off

The Cubs should be exciting. The RF/LF combo have really good arms and consistantly throw runners out. Fuku and Soto should really gives the Cubs a jolt offensively which they lacked last year and cost them many early games. If they ever get Roberts they should be a near lock for the division. But I won't hold my breath.

My Division Prediction

1 Cubs 93-69
2 Brewers 85-77
3 Astros 80-82
4 Cardnials 76-86
5 Reds 74-88
6 Pirates 65-97

Some Kosuke Fukudome highlights
Very long gone
What an arm
Hitting highlights with bad music
3rd one he also throws a guy out at first base from right field

New England Patriots

Old Cub Spring Training Photos


I think Charlie could have done a better job managing.


Fuck Roger Clemens. Best pitcher of his generation

Then the 2003 Marlins. 90 Reds. 87 Dodgers. 2001 Diamondbacks. 91 Twins. If you look at the list of winners you could argue more upsets.

Cubs add Cintron
A guy like this is wasted in the American League(White Sox) because of the DH. He can switch hit and play 3rd, SS, and 2nd. Not good enough to start everyday but if he can return to form from elbow surgery a couple years ago he should be an important piece.

Or it could mean they have no confidence in Fontenot or have a trade lined up and have to give up Cedano.

DeRosa has heart procedure
Good that he's ok but the Cubs don't have a decend 2nd choice at 2nd and if they want Roberts the price just went up.

Cubs are playing their first game. Fontenot and Pie went deep and the Cubs lead 10-4. Fuku wnt 1-1 with an RBI and a walk.

I'm sure the Brewers will be neat/at the top. But Gallardo did get hurt and will be behind schedule and Sheets is a shitty "ace" to have because he's on the DL so much.

I'm sure another team will start out strong. Reds seem to do that the past few years only to hit the skids.

They better have him throw to the cut off man and not over the catcher.

Sori breaks tip of finger
Doesn't sound too painful.
Lou says sorry to Marquis
Seems Maq wants out if he's not starting. Since he's useless in the pen I agree. Seems Lou went off a bit and backed down to kill any controversy.


And it seems the Orioles owner has given the green light to trade Roberts and Oriole scouts are in Cubs camp. Rumored in the Deal are SS Cedano, SP Gallagher, pitching prospects Jose Ceda and/or Donald Veal. 3B Josh Vitters was also mentioned.

Give em up to get the title.

Bad testicle sidelines Pie
He's in trouble on the road. People are going to be chucking nuts at him the rest of his career.

Things have been getting interesting at Cubs camp. Soriano has been dropped to the 2 spot to test it out. But most speculate Roberts is on the way.

4 way deal?
I hope it gets done. Gallagher is good so it's sad to see him go and I could care less about the prospects.

line up
Roberts
Fukudome
Lee
Ramirez
Sori
Soto
Pie
Theroit

That's a NL Central title and a W.S contending team. Speed, power, and solid defense. Orioles better not fuck it up.

The rotation and line up are set for Opening Day.

1. Theroit-SS
2. Soriano-LF
3. Lee-1B
4. Ramirez-3B
5. Fukudome-RF
6. DeRosa-2B
7. Soto-C
8. Pie-CF

1-Zambrano(R)
2-Lilly(L)
3-Dempster(R)
4-Hill(L)
5-Marquis(R)

I can't believe Lieber didn't get a spot but they are hopefully showcasing Marquis.

Cubs are still not sold on Pie and are looking at Reed Johnson who was waived. Hope they land a solid back up to Pie.

And Kerry Wood is the closer. There is still a spot open with Eyre hurt(good) and a RP/IF as last man.

Not a chance. He already had back spasms but was pitching the next day. And as closer he will be called to pitch on consecutive days. Marmol will close eventually.

Cubs sign Reed Johnson
Cubs just got better. This puts a fire under Pie and gives Lou a choice if the kid doesn't produce. I just hope Oie gets the chance.

What is the team that will finish in last place in the NL Central?

What do the annoying Fox sports announcers always bring up when they visit Wrigley? Then they say to leave him alone.

Starting to get worried that everyone is picking the Cubs for first. Getting set up for big disappointment or a really great year.

Lee Elia-April 29, 1983
Always good to hear. He was a year off. Tough break.

99 reasons why Cubs lost the past 99 years
It's a list of shitty teams and heartbreak.

Opening Day Roster

Pitchers-12
Starters
38-Carlos Zambrano, RHP
30-Ted Lilly, LHP
46-Ryan Dempster, RHP
53-Rich Hill, LHP
21-Jason Marquis, RHP

Long relief
32-Jon Lieber, RHP

22-Kevin Hart, RHP
43-Michael Wuertz, RHP
49-Carlos Marmol, RHP
62-Bob Howry, RHP
63-Carmen Pignatiello, LHP

Closer
34-Kerry Wood, RHP

Position Players 8
C 18-Geovany Soto
1B 25-Derrek Lee
2B 7-Mark DeRosa
SS 2-Ryan Theriot
3B 16-Aramis Ramirez
RF 1-Kosuke Fukudome
CF 20-Felix Pie
LF 12-Alfonso Soriano

Bench 5
C 24-Henry Blanco
SS 5-Ronny Cedeno
2B 17-Mike Fontenot
1B 33-Daryle Ward
OF 9-Reed Johnson

Need a few upgrades but still liking it.

0-1

Damn you Kerry Wood. Ruined a great debut by Fukudome. Blame Lou as well because I don't think it was a good idea to bring in Wood whrn Howry was warming up the inning prior. His first job as closer should be to close a game.

Can somone give Zambrano some gatorade. Dude cramps up way too much.

1-2

Soriano back to leadoff and Wood looked solid as a closer.

And I'm loving Fukodome. 12 AB's and 8 times on base. Sure it won't last but it should help Ramirez alot. It's a shame the Cubs didn't get Roberts. The first 5 in the line up could all be all stars.

Astros up next. Hill, Marquis, and Zambrano. Need 2.

2-3

Cubs need more guys like Kosuke Fukudome. I always get pissed at certain Cubs who never bunt. They could be struggling or just need to get a guy over and they would never even try. Cut to the 6th inning with Lee on 2nd and Fukodome lays down a perfect bunt for hit that landed between the 3rd baseman, pitcher and catcher. Lee would score on a wild pitch.

Then in the 7th he battles a lefty for a go ahead 2 run double. Guy is an instant fan favorite. And ulike Sam "I crash into the wall at Wrigley" Fuld, he can actually play.

Kerry Wood bounced back and looks strong. Good movement and changing of speed. Howry sucks right now so hopefully Marmol will now get to pitch
the 8th.

Big Z for the series win tomorrow

3-3

Another impressive outing by Z and this time he drank his water and ate bananas.

It's not all hugs and puppies. Soriano and Throit are struggling and that's not good when going in they were the 1-2 hitters. Sori homered today and I expect another .300/30HR year. But with Cedano waiting in the wings it could be bench time for Theroit.

Pitts home opener

Lilly(L) vs Gorzelanny(L)
Dempster(R) vs Duke(L)
Hill(L) vs Morris(R)

Sori, Ramirez, and Theroit are shit vs. Gorzelanny. I expect Cedano to start Mon. Cubs seem to hit Duke well and Matt Morris is their bitch.

5-3

Even ugly wins count. Cubs blew 2 leads, 1 big(7-0), but still managed 2 wins vs the Pirates.

There is good and bad to this. The bad is that they blew 2 leads. the 2-0 is understandable but the 7-0 is aggravating. The good news is that last years team would have lost these games. Winning breeds confidence and winning the close ones helps even more.

It's frustrating Lou is almost ready to give up on Pie. The Cubs did face to lefties against the Pirates but he needs a shot to succeed. Give him 200 AB's.

GAme might get rained out today. Phillies up next.

7-5

I thought the Phillies would be tough to beat esp with Hamels and Moyer. Fortunatly the Phillies let the Cubs avoit the sweep and stay 2 over .500 with a 8 game homestand up next. Cubs have to start winning at home. 6 of those are the bottom feeding Pirates and Reds. They need 5 and split with the mets for a 6-2 homestand.

The Cubs get Fogg, Harang, and Volquez. 2 guys who are pitching well but 2 is a must.

Idiot

10-6

The Cubs are on pace for 100+ wins. Sure it won't happen but they are off to a really good start.

Not sure how long Sori will be out but I'm not as worried as I was last year when he went out for many reasons.

1-Fukudome
He's light years better than Jaque Jones. He'd be a better 2nd hitter but they don't have a legit 5th hitter.

2-Soto
Cubs catchers last year were lucky to hit .100 Soto willhover near .300 with good power

3-Reed Johnson
A confident, reliable veteran OF. Murton deserves a chance but he's a bit green and we already have Pie.

Cubs are halfway to what they need this homestand and a good chance to go 18-9 in the first month of the season.

Cubs stop sale of Fukudome shirt
Though you can still but Green Gay Fudge Packer shirts.

Marty Brenneman can bite me
Has he heard of Red Sox fans?
What excellent acumen. Too bad he doesn't realize the Cubs have been doing things differently the last few years. The person he should be worried about is Dusty Baker managing his young pitching staff.

Every team has idiot fans who throw tantrums. The Reds aren't immunt to fans who have thrown things on the field when they were mad. It sad when it happens and those fans should be kicked out.

MMMMMMarissa MMMMMMiller

Hope Dempster's wife didn't see.
Wireimage of all the pics

12-6 First place!

The Cubs got 5/6 from the bottom feeders who they had trouble against last year and beat up on lefties. Now the Cubs need atleast a split against the Mets.

Zambrano vs Maine(R)
Lilly vs Figueroa(R)

Lilly needs to pitch like he did last year cuz he's been sucking hard core.

And the Brewers are in a bit of trouble. Sheets has tightness in his forearm, they are carring 14 pitchers(11 norm), and Ned Yost is still the manager. The idiot pitched Gagne for the 4th straight day and he gave up a HR to Paul Bako to tie it in the 10th.

Great arm
And she did it in heels. Video of Marissa Miller throwing out the first pitch.

And the Cubs are up 7-1 over the Mets going into the top of the 9th. *Win! 13-6 for the first time since 1985

15-6

10,000

Congrats on being the 2nd team to do so. And with the way the Giants are going the Cubs could catch them in less than a decade.

And the offense just keeps getting better. With Ramirez now on a roll the Cubs have everyone in the line up going. Wood blowing the save is troubling but he's not at Gagne level by no means. Howry has shown improvement as well as Lilly and Hill. They should really run away with this division.

Hopefully Sori will see this and take a few pitches.

17-11

Marmol should have been the closer since day 1.

Cubs wasted a chance to put distance between them and the Brewers. They are on a bit of a bad streak losing 4/6 but get a chance to rebound against the surprising Cards.

21-15

It's been up and down, mostly down, the last week for the Cubs. Hill gets demoted to the minors and Lieber gets rocked in his place. Cubs lose on the road in Cincy and St Louis.

They beat the DBacks again today but Sori looked bad running on a single from 2nd. His leg could be a problem the rest of the year. Not good for a lead off hitter.

Randy Johnson vs Zambrano if anyone gets the Cubs.

23-15

This makes me puke
Cubs set to sign Edmonds
What a joke. There aren't many players I despise and this is one of them. He's getting worse every year, easy to strike out, and is slow in the field. Atleast Pie can play defense and steal a base.

He will get boo'd badly at Wrigley. There is major hate.

And like clockwork
Prior takes step back in rehab
Kid is done. Shame because he had great stuff.

And with the Edmonds signing they still do.

I hope he does great but I still don't like it.

Intersting Cub tidbits

With today's win it's the first time since 1891 that the Cubs beat the Pirates 10 straight times.

When Simon Lebon sang Take Me Out to the Ballgame he came prepared. He talked about the history of the song, the changing of the words and that it originated in 1908. Here is the Wikipedia for the song.

And Soriano is very hot.

Standings as of May 18th

Chicago Cubs 27 17 .614 -
St. Louis 26 20 .565 2
Houston 25 20 .556 2.5
Pittsburgh 21 23 .477 6
Cincinnati 21 23 .477 6
Milwaukee 20 24 .455 7

While the baseball people seem to been have been spot on regarding the Cubs, the rest of the division is opposite of what most(me too) would have expected.

St. Louis and Houston are playing a bit over their heads and the Brewers are just god awful. They can't hit and have no bullpen. So it should be a 3 team race from here on out. With the Cards having closer issues and the Astros starters with high ERA's it shouldn't be too close.

Cubs get 3 @ Houston, 3 @ Pitt, 3 vs LA, 4 vs Col, 3 @ SD, 4 @ LA

Those are some very beatable teams even if on the road. The Dodgers can score but they give up alot of runs, Cubs own Pitt, SD can't score, and Col can't pitch.

14-6 should be the goal.