Sammy Sosa is getting to be a liability.

[The Czech Republic 0]

Hitless against San Francisco recently. He's getting struck out, or stricken out, by the Giants' minor-leaguers, fer cryin' out loud. I mean, even Swingin' Corey Patterson is displaying more discipline at the plate in terms of what he attempts to hit. He also had a 3-run homer into the water. Whoa.

 

Everybody's saying that Nomar has been enjoying being a part of the Cubs, never mind that he's only played one game at Wrigley Field. But it's looking as if he'll stay in Chicago and not bolt to Anaheim. Sosa has one more year on his contract, I believe. I'm wondering if the north side isn't big enough for both superstars, and Sosa goes in a trade deal. Right now, I'm just starting to doubt that he's gong to fully pull out of this slump, and if the opportunity came to get some younger rising stars in the outfield, I'm sorry, but I'd have to cut Sammy loose.

 

For now, I would move Sosa out of cleanup though. Patterson or Walker should be leading off, Nomar going second. Alou and Sosa, however, should really defer to Lee and Ramirez, possibly even Barrett if Barrett gets on a hot streak. Pains me to say it, but Sosa can't hit 3rd or 4th.

[2GOLD 0]

Hitless against San Francisco recently. He's getting struck out, or stricken out, by the Giants' minor-leaguers, fer cryin' out loud. I mean, even Swingin' Corey Patterson is displaying more discipline at the plate in terms of what he attempts to hit. He also had a 3-run homer into the water. Whoa.

 

Everybody's saying that Nomar has been enjoying being a part of the Cubs, never mind that he's only played one game at Wrigley Field. But it's looking as if he'll stay in Chicago and not bolt to Anaheim. Sosa has one more year on his contract, I believe. I'm wondering if the north side isn't big enough for both superstars, and Sosa goes in a trade deal. Right now, I'm just starting to doubt that he's gong to fully pull out of this slump, and if the opportunity came to get some younger rising stars in the outfield, I'm sorry, but I'd have to cut Sammy loose.

 

For now, I would move Sosa out of cleanup though. Patterson or Walker should be leading off, Nomar going second. Alou and Sosa, however, should really defer to Lee and Ramirez, possibly even Barrett if Barrett gets on a hot streak. Pains me to say it, but Sosa can't hit 3rd or 4th.

 

Sammy has two problems, for one he is too far away from the plate.

But I don't want him gone, Sammy is too much a part of the Cubs and I can't really imagine him not running out to right field and waving at the fans.

 

Is he slumping? Hell yes.

Do I think he will pull out of it? Christ, if I believe the Cubs can make the World Series then I'll buy anything.

 

The line-up is sound and I'd rather not screw with it. Lee and Ramirez are comfortable, Alou is coming back now and Sosa won't be far behind.

 

You can tell he's frustrated with himself and that is the other problem. When Sammy isn't smiling, Sammy isn't hitting. I don't know WHY not, but when he gets down on himself he just doesn't get it done.

[Bruiser Chong 0]

This isn't just a slump. He's been pretty terrible all season and this is just a few feet above rock bottom. I don't think anyone with a head on their shoulders will argue that Sammy Sosa isn't close to the player he used to be. He was never a great hitter or a very selective one, but he was definitely a threat whenever he came to the plate. The way he's been hitting as of late, it's almost like he's an automatic out.

 

It's hard to watch, too, since I've been a huge Sammy fan since I started watching the Cubs 10 years ago. I've always supported him, through high times and low times. When he got caught with the corked bat last season, I played devil's advocate to anyone who called him a cheater. But now, it's like his heart just isn't in to it. I think the cork incident really sapped a lot of his energy from the game. Knowing that the fans could be that hard on him, even though it was more or less justified, was probably a harsh wake-up call to him.

 

I can't envision Sammy in any uniform other than Cubbie blue, but even he's gotta start to come to grip with terms here. There's very little time left on the clock. Mark McGwire realized this pretty quickly and just mere years after breaking the home run record, he was retired. It's time for Sosa to consider doing the same.

[Guest Rrrsh]

I think the National media is really making the Cubs to look much better than they actually are. Their bulpen is shaky, their defence is brutal and they cant run teh bases.

 

I think Dempster will help alot, but I dont see them even winning the wild card.

[sfaJack 0]

Well which of the teams chasing them do you think is better and will overtake them? I don't see one.

[The Czech Republic 0]

Marlins aren't good enough to come back, Phillies don't have the pitching, Barry Bonds doesn't have enough roster depth, and the Padres are looking a little falter-y. Cubs get it.

[Bruiser Chong 0]

I think the National media is really making the Cubs to look much better than they actually are.

I may agree with you, just in that the Cubs' team coming into this year was excellent looking on paper. They're still good, but have been underachieving all season. But as tired as it sounds, all of the injuries they had for the first three months of the season really did have a negative effect. It's tough to win when your two best starters, big bat and several role players are on the DL.

 

There are no excuses now, since just about everyone is healthy. However, Sosa and Alou's brutal slumps have hurt the team a lot, since they're supposed to be the guys that get things going. As for some of your assessments...

 

Their bulpen is shaky

 

I think this is actually a misconception thanks to a lot of the shakey endings to many Cubs games this season. Farnsworth is incredibly shakey most of the time; Hawkins is iffy and Borowski was obviously a temporary solution to a long-term problem. Outside of that, though, their bullpen has been stellar the majority of the season. Jon Leichester, Glendon Rusch, Mike Remlinger and Kent Mercker have all been reliable more times than not when it came to holding a team down. When the starting pitching hasn't been as good as it should be at times during the season, the bullpen has stepped up and held down the fort.

 

their defence is brutal

 

How's their defense brutal when they're third in fielding in the NL and fourth in all of baseball? They've had their stretches where they've made too many errors, but for the most part, they've been a surprisingly reliable defensive team.

 

and they cant run teh bases.

 

I think that's true, but some of that blame has to fall onto the shoulders of the first and third base coaches. They're the ones who are in charge of telling the runners when to stay, go or whatever. There've been several instances where their coaches (namely their third base coach) have made poor decisions that've cost the team.

 

I think Dempster will help alot, but I dont see them even winning the wild card.

 

I don't see why they won't get it. I'm not saying it's a lock, but the Giants are really a lot of smoke and mirrors for the most part; the Padres have been skidding and the rest of the teams in the chase have a better shot at their own division (aka the NL East).

[Guest Rrrsh]

Farnsworth, Hawkins and Boroski are VERY improtant to any sucsess, so I think dissmimissing their shakeness's importance would be unfair.

 

Nomar is a downgrade from Gonzalez and their D was bad last year in the post season, when it counts.

 

The Marlins or the Phillies can catch the Cubs.

[Bruiser Chong 0]

Nomar is a downgrade from Gonzalez and their D was bad last year in the post season, when it counts.

Uh, you do remember that it was Gonzo's error that cost them Game 6, don't you?

[the max 0]

Nomar kills Gonzalez and pisses on his grave as far as offense goes. The Cubs had the defense already, they needed the offense from that position more than anything.

[The Czech Republic 0]

Farnsworth, Hawkins and Boroski are VERY improtant to any sucsess, so I think dissmimissing their shakeness's importance would be unfair.

 

Nomar is a downgrade from Gonzalez and their D was bad last year in the post season, when it counts.

 

The Marlins or the Phillies can catch the Cubs.

Farnsworth and Hawkins are important to my future cardiologist's vacation fund. Hawkins is fine in the 8th inning, but I think time has run out on Kyle Farnsworth. He's been a "potential star" for how many years now? The only thing he's good for is giving up runs in a big lead so that the closer can pick up a save he wouldn't have gotten without Kyle's cascades of suck.

 

If you think Nomar is a DOWNGRADE over Gonzo, well, I'll just wait until Nomar makes TWO fatal errors in the postseason before I can give you that one.

 

The only thing the Marlins are catching is a dick up their ass. They're not going to pass the Cubs, Padres, Barry Bonds, AND the Phillies. They're not, ya know, good enough.

[Bruiser Chong 0]

No kidding. The Marlins were the best team the second half last season. As much as I disliked them, I gave them their props for being the best during the second half and the postseason. But they're nowhere near the team they were last season.

 

The absence of Pudge and Derrek Lee signaled right away that this was going to be a tough season for Florida, in terms of repeating as world champs. But outside of those two notable depatures, you've got a starting rotation that suddenly isn't what it was the second half of 2003. Beckett's been okay at best when he's actually on the active roster; Burnett has been a bust since his anticipated return; Redman is gone; Penny is now gone and Dontrelle is either great or terrible.

 

Urbina's gone, too and while Armando has done a better job, the Marlins lacking a good bullpen meant overtime for his arm; something he clearly couldn't handle. Now you've got a bunch of schlubs in the pen and Mota in a role he wasn't brought in to do.

 

If that's not enough, they've traded away Choi, a guy they shipped Derrek Lee off for. Lo Duca's a strong addition, but he can't do it all on his own. The one-two punch of Pierre and Castillo hasn't nearly been as dangerous as it was last season; Cabrerra and Lowell have cooled off considerably since the first two months of the season; Jeff Conine finally crashed back to Earth and what else is left after all of that? It's no wonder why the team has trouble scoring even a couple runs if the opposition isn't wearing jerseys that say "Phillies" across the front of them.

[Guest Rrrsh]

Nomar is the most overrated Defensive shortstop next to Jeter. I understand Gonzo made a shitty play, but the Cubs dont need hitting, they need D. Fudemenatlly, their weak. I dont care what the stats say. They are like the Red Soxs. Their slow, injury prone and focus way too much on the deep ball. No Sox's or Cubs this year in October.

[The Czech Republic 0]

Well you've got a Marlins flag in your signature, of course you'll be biased and irrational. Dodgers, Cardinals, Cubs, and Braves. That's the NL. No Marlins. Sorry.

[Gert T 0]

After looking at the rest of the schedule, I have to think the Cubs have the best shot.

 

Check out SF's last 15 games: San Diego (3), Houston (3), Los Angeles (3), at San Diego (3), at Los Angeles (3)

 

The Padres have all six games still vs. St. Louis, seven games vs. Los Angeles and six games vs. San Francisco and 3 games against the Cubs and Atlanta each.

[Bruiser Chong 0]

Nomar is the most overrated Defensive shortstop next to Jeter.

No one was referring to his glove. Everyone's referring to his bat and personally, I still think his glove is on par with Gonzo's. If it's not, then it's certainly worth the small downgrade for the huge upgrade offensively.

 

I understand Gonzo made a shitty play, but the Cubs dont need hitting, they need D.

I think you're wrong here. First off, they're not the offensive machines that a lot of people build them up to be. Sosa's borderline embarrassing and Alou's hitting has been shit for the most part since the beginning of June. Corey Patterson has the occassional good day, but not nearly enough to compensate for the fact that he's already struck out over 100 times this season. And he's our lead-off man, for god's sake. Grudzielanek has come back down to Earth after a great 2003 and while Barrett is definitely a surprise offensively this year, it's not so overwhelming, since the expectations of his hitting were on par with those of Paul Bako's. Not saying much.

 

They need hitting; they don't need another home run hitter or a guy who thinks he's one, but rather, they need a guy who's going to make contact, put the ball in play and settle for single and doubles instead of trying to blast every ball out of the park. That's what Nomar does and he's already shown to be what the Cubs need in that two-spot in the week he's been with the team.

 

Fudemenatlly, their weak. I dont care what the stats say. They are like the Red Soxs.

I think their passion for the longball has hurt them this season, but I wouldn't say they're that much like the Red Sox. How often have you watched the Cubs play this year? Because I've watched damn near every game and aside from the occassional defensive blunder that just makes me shake my head, they've been amazing defensively the majority of the time.

 

When they're pitchers are getting themselves into jams, the defense has backed them up with being able to turn double-plays, whether they're simple or difficult, most of the time. The Cubs' starters would have a lot higher ERAs and numbers in the Loss column were it not for the defense.

 

Their slow, injury prone and focus way too much on the deep ball. No Sox's or Cubs this year in October.

Slow, yes, but that was a given coming in. Speed's overrated, I think. I'd like to see some more speed on the Cubs' team and maybe steal some more, but I don't think that's their downfall. If speed was that much of a difference maker, the Devil Rays would be in playoff contention, since they've got a ridiculous amount of speed on their roster.

 

And some years, some teams are just unlucky when it comes to staying healthy. The Cubs have been very injury-prone this season, but I don't think that means that the individual players are. It's just bad luck.

 

By the way, would it be asking too much if you'd learn to use they're / their / there and things like that correctly. Maybe I'm just uptight, but I find it very difficult to even take your points seriously when your posts are packed with grammatical nightmares.

[The Czech Republic 0]

The Cubs haven't seen the Marlins or les Expos yet. I think we can take most or all of the Expos games, and we'll definitely lay a whoopin on Florida.

[EVIL~! alkeiper 0]

I understand Gonzo made a shitty play, but the Cubs dont need hitting, they need D. Fudemenatlly, their weak. I dont care what the stats say.

 

The Cubs have allowed the least runs of any team in all of baseball. How could they possibly need defense over offense?

[Guest Smell the ratings!!!]

defense is not quite as useful when you strike out 10 guys a game.

 

I have to agree that the Cubs will win the wild card. The Phils and Padres have been bad all year, the Marlins may have taken themselves out by trading Penny, and the Giants are basically a two man team.

[Sass 0]

Keep Sammy. This might just be a bad year for him and by next season he might be ready to play ball again. He's also the team's cash cow too. The corked bat debacle was terrible but he needs to move on if he's still bugged about it. If things get tight with money then ask him if he'll restructure his contract and take a probable paycut since that's the least they can do for him in that type of situation after all the years he's played on the team.

 

Sammy's good people (even if he is a roid busting cromag head doofus).

[KanadianKrusty 0]

The Cubs haven't seen the Marlins or les Expos yet. I think we can take most or all of the Expos games

Be careful, the Expos have been known to assfuck contenders late in the season and get them out of the race.

[Fuzzy Dunlop 0]

More than any of Sosa's strikeouts or popups with men on base bothers me, the thing I'm still upset about is him and Alou trying to get the announcers kicked off the plane. I already don't want Alou back next year, and I don't know about Sosa.

[Bruiser Chong 0]

Excellent column by Jay Mariotti in the Sun today, about Sosa. It's hard to argue with anything he says and you've gotta believe the pressure to move Sosa in the lineup is going to increase now that it's not just the 'net fans who are calling for it. Here's the article:

 

SAN FRANCISCO -- We've always given Sammy Sosa the benefit of any non-corked doubt, if for no other reason than he helped save baseball and turned the Cubs into an insanely popular phenomenon. But those slammin' memories are six years old now. Seems the statute of limitations has expired on love-tap exchanges.

 

 

 

Truth be known, the difference between contemplating a world championship or falling short for the 96th consecutive season could be Sosa. And for those who think Nomar Garciaparra's presence makes Sosa's inconsistencies more tolerable, realize that the noise out of Boston last week wasn't all bitter Red Sox static. He does have an Achilles tendon issue of some sort -- ''sore,'' Dusty Baker described it -- that limited him to a pinch-hitting stint in a 6-3 loss Sunday night to the Giants and took some starch out of the raging Garciaparty in Wrigleyville. To counterbalance such tweaks, the Cubs are paying Sosa a robust $17 million this season.

 

But lately, he hasn't come close to earning his money. His performances continue to fluctuate too wildly for comfort, with his colossal strikeout swings becoming more predominant in the daily grind than, say, his recent three-run home run in Colorado. At his listed age of 35, suspicions are he's breaking down as an all-purpose hitter and is stuck in a feast-or-famine rut. Evidence? Try a .261 batting average, which is what Sosa used to hit when he was much thinner and considerably less accomplished.

 

That's nearly 100 points below the average of his former partner in superstardom, 40-year-old Barry Bonds, whose presence and effect on a ballgame continue to be unprecedented, even as BALCO clouds hang ominously on sunny, cloudless evenings at SBC Park. The contrast was striking all weekend, despite ESPN's attempts to cast them as co-headliners. When Bonds came to bat, Giants fans loudly implored Baker, their one-time manager, not to walk him. Even Baker's son, Darren, had one of those ubiquitous rubber chickens in his seat behind the Cubs' dugout before his dad leaned over and asked, ''What are you doing holding a chicken?''

 

But when Sosa came to bat, the fear factor wasn't remotely as threatening. He whiffed seven times against Giants pitching, which is more than Bonds strikes out in some months, and extended his slump to 0-for-17 Sunday. You keep waiting for Sosa to launch one of his awesome, long-term power surges, yet perhaps it's time to face harsh reality and acknowledge it isn't going to happen. After two trying seasons of injuries, a corked-bat scandal and sporadic production, Sammy Sosa isn't SAMMY SOSA anymore as much as Sammy So-So.

 

He scoffs at the criticism, offering up his new favorite catchphrase: ''I haven't left the building.'' But in Cubdom's new world order, one could make the case that Sosa isn't a worthier cleanup hitter than Aramis Ramirez or even Derrek Lee. So far, Baker has resisted thoughts of moving him down in the batting order, maybe sensing how a demotion would impact his sensitive psyche. But if improvement doesn't come soon, will the manager have any choice?

 

Stubbornly, Sosa is setting up shop too far far back in the batter's box. A day doesn't pass when someone doesn't openly ask why he digs in so far away from home plate, including Baker, who was a pretty fair major-league hitter in his day. It's hard to criticize a man who is moving up the all-time homer ladder. But even the great ones listen to advice, as Greg Maddux preached in the days leading up to his 300th career victory. If Sosa turns down the boombox, maybe he can start hearing the gospel truth.

 

Wherever SAMMY SOSA went, he'd better find him soon. Because the Cubs need him more than ever and aren't going anywhere in October without him. Just as fans were daring to dream about the World Series again, the Cardinals reaffirmed their role as National League favorites by making a bombshell deal Friday. For some time, we've been saying no team in recent memory has boasted three monster impact players such as Albert Pujols, Scott Rolen and Jim Edmonds. Well, make it four with the acquisition of Larry Walker, who now provides staggering balance in the thick of baseball's new Murderers Row. ''We put an MVP in the lineup,'' Rolen told St. Louis reporters. ''He's won an MVP and Gold Gloves. He hits for a high average. He hits for power. He can do everything.''

 

Forget, of course, about catching the Cardinals in the NL Central. Assuming the Cubs remember to wear their flip-up sunglasses (Ramirez didn't in the first inning, allowing a costly pop to drop), don't make baserunning blunders (as Corey Patterson and Moises Alou did) and don't give away runs (when Ramirez wasn't covering his position in the seventh), they remain the favorites for the wild card. The Giants have pluck -- as symbolized by Dustan Mohr's awesome diving catch in the eighth that preserved the lead -- but don't have enough support for Bonds and pitching stud Jason Schmidt. The optimistic conventional wisdom is that their starting rotation gives them a fighting chance in any playoff series, including a matchup against the Cardinals that would make the earth shake along the Interstate 55 corridor. But the Cardinals have a better bullpen than the Cubs. And now, despite the Nomar pickup, the Cubs can't say they have as mighty a batting order.

 

Enter Sosa. He must answer the Walker deal in time for the playoffs. Baker's lineup has much promise with Patterson embracing the leadoff role, Garciaparra spraying hits across the Bay Area, Alou still healthy and dangerous at 38, a hobbling Ramirez becoming an offensive force, Lee showing he's a reliable stick and Michael Barrett qualifying as another terrific Jim Hendry find. When Todd Walker is in the lineup, there are no holes.

 

Except at cleanup.

 

You wonder if Sosa, who has pleaded with management for years to surround him with better talent, is threatened by Garciaparra and the concept that he might no longer be The Man. Publicly, he says nothing but the right things and raved about the deal. ''It was a perfect move by Jim Hendry,'' Sosa said. ''Nomar is a superstar.''

 

The problem is that Sosa, until further notice, is no longer a superstar. Question is, will he ever be again?

[The Czech Republic 0]

3 strikeouts for Sosa today, one of them was practically a toss in the bullpen that he mistakenly swung at.

[Bruiser Chong 0]

It's quite clear the regardless of who's managing the team, Sammy is running it. Until he's gone, I don't think the Cubs are going to win. But if he keeps playing like this, it's going to get hard for even his biggest supporters to keep looking the other way.

[Bruiser Chong 0]

He came up in the bottom of the 9th with a chance to win it and struck out, making him 0-for-5 on the day with four more strikeouts. The fans are really starting to lay into him and rightfully so.

[cabbageboy 0]

I still can't believe anyone could possibly think getting Nomar is a DOWNGRADE from fucking Alex Gonzalez. I mean, Gonzalez not only made the key error in the Bartman game (which would have prompted me to trade his ass right off the bat), he's also absolutely wretched at the plate. The guy strikes out constantly.

 

As far as the wildcard goes, why not the Cubs? Let's face it, any of those other teams will simply get swept with little fanfare. Padres? Jobbers. Giants? Jobbers with a couple of stars. Phillies? Bleh. Marlins? Sorry, lost too many guys.

 

That said, the Cubs might have a puncher's chance against either the Braves or Dodgers but there is NO WAY they will beat the Cardinals. I've seen enough of their games this year to know that the Cards have it on them in pitching, defense, clutch hitting, base running, and general baseball acumen (i.e. laying down a bunt, going from 1st to 3rd, etc).

[LooseCannon25 0]

Sammy reminds me of a another superstar who is definitely on a major decline/

 

Mike Piazza

 

These guys are veyr similiar to each other in that they haven't done much all season and have not looked the same either. They both seemes to age really badly this year and the bats are slower.