Bruiser Chong

Uh oh, it's Farnsworth time.

A lot of people still speak highly of him because he hits homers. He's mediocre or awful in just about every other facet of the offensive game.

Wow, must suck to be David Ross right now. He alone just blew Bronson Arroyo's eight shutout innings.

Indeed. I was giddy last season when Kearns was popping up frequently in Cubs-related trade talks. Instead, we got a $16 million dollar piece of poop. Has anyone mentioned Soriano yet for being overrated? I keep seeing Cubs fans busting Hendry's chops for not going after him, but he'd be no different than most of their current hitters: no patience, terrible OBP, too homer-happy. Seriously, his OBP is fairly horrible for a guy that's so widely praised. Plus I can field better than he can.

Just not a good day to be a gamer. I actually feel for Dontrelle. One of the few guys who shows his geniuine love for the game every outing. He's getting shelled right now; hard to say if he'll even make it through three.

I understand what your saying, but Matsui hasn't missed a MLB game in his career, and has some insane games played streak going including his days in Japan, so he really shouldn't be considered a "veteran" who breaks down. edit; Rolled his wrist over on a diving catch Damn. Probably didn't wanna be called out by the Boss for not caring.

What exactly happened with Matsui? Didn't get to see it, but the Yankees board is freaking out.

Never mind. I didn't realize he came in for Walker. The Cubs may be sporting one of the worst lineups I've ever seen right now. It looks like this: Neifi Perez Juan Pierre Ryan Theriot Aramis Ramirez John Mabry Henry Blanco Jerry Hairston Freddie Bynum Ouch.

What was the point of calling up Theriot? I know he's not gonna help, but in a wash like this, he's nowhere to be found. And who pinch-hits for the pitcher? Our backup catcher. Smart thinking, Dusty.

I love how Dusty always removes any hope of a comeback. Down 9-0, you know it's not going to happen, but it seems like everytime he yanks a pitcher, he's making a double-switch. So naturally, he lifts Jones, who's been one of the few guys hitting on this trip and replaces him with the black hole of suck that is Freddie Bynum. And it's only the fourth inning. Way to encourage your team/fans, Johnnie.

Nick Johnson's another one I forgot for underrated (ironic, no?). This guy has quietly put together some of the most productive seasons of any first basemen in the game over the past several years. Guy has power, but walks a ton, so he's usually not going to give away at-bats. Yet, we never hear about him.

Damn, Matt Murton gets no love. He's batting EIGHTH today. That's correct, the guy with the .369 OBP has the pitcher for protection. Some how, John Mabry's batting fifth, despite not showing much at all in limited play this season.

Oh and I like how the rack pack guy charged $20 for shipping. I can see why he'd gouge on that front; he probably lost money on the auction.

There's supposedly only around 100 of these.

I hate how people overlook Dunn and justify it with his low batting average and strikeout rate. Batting average is probably one of the more overrated offensive stats out there. OBP is a much better assessment of a player's offensive worth. For instance, Ronny Cedeno and Jason Giambi have very close batting averages. I think that's all that needs to be said on that front. High or "respectable" batting averages don't make you a valuable player. As for strikeouts, they get a bad rap. No, they aren't "productive" outs, but there are a lot of situations in which they're better than what could've happened. Would Reds fans rather see Adam Dunn strikeout with a runner at first and less than two outs or see him ground into a doubleplay? And for the record, there's entirely too much stock put into intangibles. Certain players bring an aura to the club, but that doesn't necessarily mean anything in the long run. Paul LoDuca's supposedly this amazing team leader that your club can't live without. Never mind they didn't see the postseason during his tenure and still managed to make it the season they traded him at the deadline.

Bout time for that offense. With better defensive, you imagine the Cubs would have only had the runs Ramirez drove in, but I'll gladly take it. Astros are getting blown out again, too.

The rumor right now is Jeff Conine for Will Ohman. Ohman's been crap, so it wouldn't be terrible, but I don't think Conine's going to really do much for the Cubs' offense. Speaking of their offense, they actually score in the first inning for the first time in what seems like ages. Cedeno's leading off tonight and singled and stole a base. Pierre bunted him over to third, which I thought was a bit silly, since a single would probably score him anyway. Oh well, play for one run and that's what you get.

The Big Boss is unhappy with A-Rod. They should just trade him if they hate him so damn much.

Dusty isn't fond of the kids. That's the main problem. The kids get called up, but really don't get a chance to show what they can do. That isn't to say Dusty's depriving us of the next superstar everytime a kid comes up and sits, but even when a youngster proves himself to be a commodity, Dusty will find a way to work in a vet over him. Just look at the leftfield disaster from last season. Even now, Matt Murton's showing to be the Cubs' best pure hitter. Where's he batting? Sixth or seventh. He seems like a perfect fit for the two-spot, since he typically works the count and gets on base. Ronnie's okay, but his OBP is close to his batting average. Were it not for his hot start, we'd have (again) two poor candidates for the one-two spots of the batting order. But they're fast and the misconception is if they're fast, they should be at the top of the order. I guess to Dusty's credit, Neifi is really a bench guy this year, as opposed to last season, when he was finding his way into the lineup even when unnecessary. It's Hendry's fixation on him that's confusing. He is the one who signed him to a multi-year deal, while shopping Walker, after all. For now, those two are in there at second because of Lee's injury. I'm surprised we haven't seen more Mabry at first and Walker at second, but that's the way it's played out.

Indeed. You just wonder how much longer this can go on without it being addressed. Every team slumps throughout the season, but this current one is primarily due to issues that are bigger than just a bump in the road.

Yeah, it'd be nice if the Cubs at least seemed competitive in their losses. A 95-pitch night for Schmidt. Way to work the count, idiots.

Wow, Pierre can't hit, but damn, atta boy!

Indians seem to have problems with the Royals for some reason. I think like half of the Royals' wins are from facing the Tribe.

Time to pack it in when Mike Matheny's beating you.

Cub hitters just love to make every starter look like Cy Young. A six-pitch first for Schmidt? C'mon. 1-0 Giants.