Bruiser Chong

Tomorrow's going to be an important game. The Cubbies once again seemingly have most factors going in their favor, but this losing streak may be getting in their heads, so we shall see. A team doesn't need to go on some double-digit win streak to get things going. It just takes winning series and that's what I expect from the Cubs. Maybe not so much right now, all of their issues considered, but I don't ask for sweeps, because a difference can be made just from winning series.

And the Cubs are playing the Pirates. They're still major league hitters. Nick Johnson and Carl Everett are back too. Last time I checked, no one found Joe Borowski to be some intimidating closer, whereas Graves has an insane contract to do what he does. I'm not making excuses for the Cubs, who are playing the worst ball they have all year, but I don't see what they have do with a game between the Reds and the Expos.

Well, they are playing the Expos.

Congrats, Cubs. The Brewers now have a better record than you do.

Al told me yesterday that I'm one or two Cubs losses away from being the next AS. Well, we're about to find out as this abortion of a team has managed to squander yet another lead and are now getting bitchslapped around by the Bucs. I know you can't assess the team until they've got the likes of Wood, Prior and Sosa back, but it may be too late by time that actually happens. After dropping two to the Stros, I figured that a four-game set with the Pirates would help things. As it is, it looks like they'll need to win tomorrow in order to avoid being fucking swept by them. I've been a fan for 10 years and have seen much worse, but I'm rapidly losing faith in a team that is unable to even tread water at this point.

Can Floyd be considered a tragedy yet? He looked to be one his way to superstardom, but he's just been unable to have a full healthy season since the incident at first base all those years ago. It's a shame, especially since he's still productive when he's not on the DL. MLB Extra Innings isn't carrying the Astros / Cards game, but looking at MLB's Gameday, the Stros look like they've imploded in the 8th, giving up five runs, committing two errors and Jimmy Williams getting the boot.

Well, those teams are all doing well this season and aside from the Reds, all of them did well last season, which I think has a big part to do with this. Others here are fans of teams outside of the ones listed, but there's not a whole lot to say when your favorite team is losing on a regular basis.

I've come into some new and sealed titles in my time from various sources and more times than not, when you pay basically nothing for them, they weren't obtained legally. Pawn shops around here just sell TVs and freaking gold chains and the like. But that's Saginaw for you. We're pretty ghetto and that's where our interests lie. And BF, check out Major League this weekend and the Kurosawa titles in the middle of the day. While great films, most of them aren't exactly something you wanna pop in on a Friday or Saturday night.

You know, if the Pirates weren't so quick to trade away any prospects not named Jason Kendall, they could have a good little ball club going there.

And Craig Wilson hits the walk-off homer to sweep the double header. The Cubs are just embarrassing to watch right now. No one expects them to break a whole lot of ground with all of the injuries, but they're rapidly falling apart, as they've now lost four in a row, all of which have come against teams in their division. Given their upcoming June schedule, they could be out of the race by July.

Maybe we should reconsider the Hawkins as the closer suggestion. Not cashing in big with the bases loaded and no one out in the 9th comes back to haunt the Cubs. I think I need to stop watching until we've got some of the regulars back.

If they had to make a move, I'd say go for Urbina. It's not like the Tigers truly need him yet. I'd like to see Hawkins in the closer role, but Farnsworth has proven to be too inconsistent to be trusted that late in the game on a regular basis.

He can't be any worse than Borowski's been. You can say what you want for saving eight games out of eight chances, but none of those have come simply and he's always tended to be on the brink of blowing the game. This time, he just did it in the grandest fashion possible. I say give Hawkins a shot in the closing role. So what if he likes being the set-up man? Does he want to win or not? Borowski was never meant to be a closer, anyway, it was that closer by committee bullshit that landed him the gig in the first place. I was under the impression he was just trying to hold it together until they got, you know, a real closer.

Joe Borowski makes me absolutely sick to my stomach. I know closing is a tough job, but this guy is ridiculous. I'm at a loss for words. The Cubs come back and need three outs to get the win. But then Borowski can't get anyone out, gives off a leadoff triple, two hits and just when all hope looks to be loss, he manages to get two outs. And then what happens? He gives up a fucking grand slam. Fuck Joe Borowski. I don't care if he saved 20 games in a row, he is not closer material and this team is fucked if they are going with him for the long haul.

I was about to come on here and ask what Dusty was smoking to take down Hollandsworth, one of their better current hitters, with the bases loaded and put in Barrett. A grand slam sorta answered that one, though.

The Cubs are just so frustrating to watch right now. In the same inning they blow a great chance to break the game open and don't capitalize, the Pirates get the bases loaded, actually cash in and now lead by three. Oh, and Clement fucking hit THREE batters in this inning and couldn't even make it through. That doesn't count two balls which came very close to beaming the batter. Unbelievable.

What can of message does it send to other players when a guy can leave a team, citing personal reasons, have the team void his contract, leaving him with the option of being signed by another team. I think it's bullshit, since he said he'd be sitting out the rest of the season. Plus, his personal reasons were supposedly his family's safety. Are you telling me that those issues magically disappeared in three weeks?

A throwback to last season, the Cubs load up the bases with no outs, the heart of their lineup up, and score nothing.

I have read them. What's wrong with him saying that he thinks the Wolves are going to take the series in seven and then saying why? Doesn't matter if he's a fan of the team or not, he can say which team he feels is going to take the series.

You're the worst troll ever. I don't see how that's trolling at all but anyway, I hate the Lakers, but they've got the right to be cocky right now. They're actually playing well, unlike the T-Wolves, who've just fallen apart lately. Garnett's great, but he can't carry a team by himself to the Finals.

Talking about the Orioles pitching, right? Hey A's broke even against the Red Sox...sorta. Final total score for the series: 23-23. Not bad when your out scored 21-8 the first two games. Yeah, really. As well as the Yanks have been hitting lately, the Orioles' god-awful pitching all-around definitely played a huge factor here.

Yeah and the Yankees' announcers are acting like he just raped a child. A pitcher should be upset over a poor outing, but they acted like he was committing the most disgusting crime to humanity possible by having a smile on his face.

OMG REDS FANS EXPLODE~!!!

I didn't know you owned the Reds.

It's becoming more and more obvious that unless the Cubs get healthy soon, they aren't going to be contenders much longer. Speaking of which, they're about to place Todd Wellemeyer on the DL, who has a shoulder strain. That makes nine guys on the DL at the same time. This includes their two best starters, best hitter, double-play combo, one of two lefty relievers and one of the few decent middle relieve guys the Cubs have. What a nightmare.