Tuesday, July 17, 2007
Cubbies playing to win
The biggest weakness in the Chicago batting order has been their catcher, where they have gotten no production since trading Michael Barrett (following his two-round boxing match with Carlos Zambrano, the ace of the staff). Cubs management hopes it has filled that hole with the acquisition of Jason Kendall from the Oakland As for one of their light hitting catchers and a pitching prospect. Kendall has no power but is a career .297 hitter, and used to hit lead-off for the Pirates. Lou Pinella will likely bat him 7th.
The Cubs just got a lot better, on paper anyway. Someone must think they have a chance this year.
4 Comments:
By 
, at
Tue Jul 17, 12:31:00 PM:
What if you end up with Mark Cuban as the owner?
By 
Charlottesvillain, at
Tue Jul 17, 12:51:00 PM:
My initial reaction is that it would suck. Activist owners have generally been very bad for baseball.
By , at
Tue Jul 17, 01:11:00 PM:
The guy that sucks is Kendall. But maybe his "clubhouse leadership" will help the club win, or at least prevent outright fights with Zambrano. You would be better off being an Indians fan this year!
By Charlottesvillain, at
Tue Jul 17, 01:41:00 PM:
I'd be better off being an Indians fan most years. Cubs fandom is a curse and I would abandon them if our bond were strictly voluntary. But alas, I did not choose them; they chose me.
Regarding Kendall sucking, we'll see. He is not having a good year so far for Oakland. But the current Cubs catching options are not really viable for a team in a pennant race.
