He is So Taguchi

Yeah, the Cubs lost, but...

Ned Yost and Prince Fielder showed that they are inferior to Tony LaRussa and Albert Pujols tonight when they first lost a round of beanball, and then got beat by the pathetic Cardinals.

Fielder got beaned, then Yost got tossed when the Brewers hit Pujols, leading to a 4 run inning, going from 4-2 to 7-2, featuring a big double by good ol' Number 99.

Either way, the magic number is 3. Same result as if both teams won. A push. Really.

But, yeah, let's win tomorrow.

Feeling Woozy

It's amazing what 1.5 games will do to one's stomach. Yes, you can't win them all, and yes, Dontrelle Willis had a good game in an otherwise crappy season, and umpire Andy Fletcher had a five-foot wide strike zone (I doubt you'll see him in the post-season), but there is a huge difference between a 3 game lead and a 2 game lead these days.

Just win tonight against the guy I have never heard of, and get me off the ledge.

Zambrano NOT to the Rescue

The Cubs followed up their thrilling victory Monday night with a game Tuesday night in a matchup between the Cubs arguably best pitcher against the Reds' best pitcher, Aaron Harang. They knew they still had a whisker-thin one game lead, and were tied in the loss column, so they had to get a win, especially with the Brewers facing a rookie starter.

As they say, Momentum is tomorrow's starting pitcher.

Unfortunately, the Cubs were losing before they got a chance to bat. Zambrano, pitching for the first time at Wrigley since he bitched about Cubs fans who booed him, gave up a single to the first batter, hit the next, and eventually gave up two runs in the first inning.

The rest of the game was spent waiting to see if Zambrano would self-immolate and get booed, and it looked like the rest of the team was fighting to keep Zambrano in the game, or at least not be taken out mid-inning to boos, and thus keep the focus on the pennant race, and not one guy. They did not seem to be ready to come from behind again, whcih is why a good start by Zambrano was so critical.

Don't get me wrong, I love Zambrano (really), but you can now tell how he will do by the first inning, if not the first batter. He needs some focus, badly, and it seems he gets it when he's on the road.

Sure, you can say the Cubs lost to a good, if not great pithcer, and they can win the series by winning tonight behind Ted Lilly. They question is, if the Cubs do make the playoffs, should Big Z be your Game One starter?

Still, it's only one game, right? Let's see how he does Sunday against Pittsburgh...

About IU Football...

There have been inquiries about why I dont talk about IU Football, when I do talk about IU basketball. Instead of succumbing to my fallback line, "I went to Indiana; we don't have a football program," I will say a few words about IU Football.

BEAT ILLINOIS

Everyone wants IU to go to a bowl, and I do, too, but they won't (or shouldn't) if they don't beat Illinois this week. They didn't blow out the three non-conference opponents so far, other than woeful Indiana State, and their schedule doesn't offer them too many chances if they don't beat a badly coached Illinois team.

The other reason I care little about football, either the Bears or IU, is that the Cubs are in FIRST PLACE, and as long as they are playing meaningful games, the football schedule will just have to wait. For example, I usually go to the Indiana-Illinois football game (or at least to a bar to watch), but I have Cubs tickets, so I will DVR the game and hoe to see it without learning the score after the Cubs game.

Looking for a Positive Here...

Dan Serafini pitched to one batter last night in the Rockies-Phillies tilt and walked him, committing a balk along the way. Unfortunately, the guys after him allowed his runner to score, which means Dan's ERA goes up to 54.00. The Rockies lost 12-4, so his role was not large in the defeat.

Let's hope Dan gets some outs here real soon.

Serafini helps set National League Record!

Dan Serafini was one of a National League record 10 pitchers used by the Rockies in nine innings in a 10-4 victory over the Padres, who used only six pitchers, in front of 27,247. The 10 pitchers in nine innings tied a Major League record.

Mark Redman and Ryan Speier relieved Dessens in the third and the Padres scored one run.
Then Speier, Dan Serafini and Matt Herges pitched the fourth, keeping the Padres to one run, as Herges got Milton Bradley to ground out with the bases loaded. For those of you keeping score at home, that's five pitchers in three innings.

First Game Back: 0.1 innings, 1 Run

Dan Serafini pitched 0.1 innings today, hit his fellow high school alum, Barry Bonds, and was charged with a run. Well, at least he got the rust off...

BACK TO THE BIGS!!!

Kudos to Dan Serafini to returning to the Major Leagues, this time with the Colorado Rockies. Unfortunately, the Rockies don't play any of the Cubs' rivals, but we wish him the best of luck that he has come to the majors to stay.

From the Rockies' official release:

The Rockies will officially add lefty Dan Serafini to their active roster Tuesday.

Space for Serafini, who is not on the 40-man roster, will most likely be made by moving Jason Hirsh or Aaron Cook to the 60-day disabled list.

Serafini started the year in the Japanese League, and the former first-round Draft pick of the Twins has not pitched in the Majors since 2003 with the Reds. In 11 games and three starts with the Sky Sox, he went 0-1 with a 3.48 ERA.

For those of you new to this site, I explain the name here.

Ugly Day at Wrigley. Real Ugly.

The wife and I went to the game yesterday, leaving the boy with a sitter and hoping to enjoy the first place Cubs and Carlos Zambrano pitching. Things did not go well on the field, and I told the wife as it was imploding that the fans would be booing Carlos and that it would be ugly.

Unfortunately, I was right. From The Tribune:

"I don't accept that the fans were booing at me," a seething Zambrano said afterward. "I can't understand that. You know, I thought these were the greatest fans in baseball. But they showed me today that they just care about them, and that's not fair, because when you're struggling, you want to feel the support of the fans."No, I don't accept it. I just pointed to my head, and I will remember that because I don't want any bad outings. I know the great moments of my career will come."

"[Fans] pay to see a good show," he said. "They pay to see a good pitcher. Right now, I'm not doing too well. I just call [out to] the fans, 'I want a little support.' That's all. When you're struggling, or you have a brother who's struggling, you show him love. You don't show him you want to kick him out. That's what I ask of the fans—a little support." And not only [for] me. I go out there and try to do my best, but not everybody is like Carlos Zambrano [and can] keep his head up and keep trying to do a good job. There are people on this team who are struggling and going down and down …"When you're booing somebody, you're booing the 25 men on this ballclub, and that's not fair. That happened before to some of my teammates, and that's not right. I think we go out there to give Cubs fans a good show and to go to the playoffs, and that's what I want. No one wants to do a bad job. … Every single player in that clubhouse wants to do a great job for the city, believe me."

I tend to agree with the sentiment about booing the home team, and I truly don't doubt his wanting to do well and working hard, but it was real dumb for Zambrano to express it in that situation. As it stands, he will likely have only one more start at Wrigley. Let's just hope that we make the payoffs, and we can make the day just a blip on the radar. Wishful thinking, huh?

Also, why does Joe West make himself part of every game he is in?