Chicago Cubs

By TAB BAMFORD In the spirit of discussion, I present to you an idea for discussion: the Cubs should explore trading third baseman Aramis Ramirez to the Phillies. The young third baseman the Cubs picked up named Ryne Sandberg turned out pretty well.

By Al So a modified platoon of Granderson and Reed Johnson would be, in my opinion, the ticket to success for the Cubs outfield. I say "modified" because Johnson would also have to spell Fukudome in RF from time to time; on those days, Granderson would have to start in CF vs. LHP. Sam Fuld would stick w...

Cubs general manager Jim Hendry is trying to align his outfield pieces, but the puzzle is proving to be a difficult one.

The multi-threat Granderson is no stranger to being in front of the camera. He served as TBS' in-studio analyst for two straight postseasons, as well as a color commentator for a TNA wrestling event in June.

By The Sports XChange Cubs general manager Jim Hendry is trying to align his outfield pieces, but the puzzle is proving to be a difficult one.

By Matt Trueblood On the same day that reports out of both major Chicago newspapers said Hendry will ink middling middle-reliever John Grabow to a two-year extension, he redeemed himself from that gaffe (as I saw it ), by trading reliever Aaron Heilman to the Arizona Diamondbacks.

By hosts@cubscast.com Episode: 572 - The Cubs Close In On a Questionable Signing, Is Curtis Granderson This Year's Brian Roberts, Do the Cubs Need Big Personnel Changes or Slight Adjustments and More (November 19) - Cubscast 2009 Season Podcasts - Cubscast.com - Hosted By: Lou, Sheps & Sneetch

By Kurt It's not every day that a competitive baseball team will take a risk on a Rule 5 draft pick the way the Cubs did on Patton.  But clearly, Jim Hendry must've known that Patton is special, right?  Clearly the Cubs management knew of Patton's ungodly, unbeatable talent or else they wouldn't hav...

By Rob John Grabow will not significantly impact the Chicago Cubs in 2010-11, unless of course it is a significantly negative impact.  And even though 7 million dollars is a mind-blowing sum to you and me, to people like Tom Ricketts, Jim Hendry, and John Grabow, it is not so mind blowing. It is NOT i...

By Al The Chicago Cubs today acquired left-handed pitcher Scott Maine and first baseman Ryne White from the Arizona Diamondbacks for right-handed pitcher Aaron Heilman. White is a native of Chicago and is a 2005 graduate of St. Rita of Cascia High School.

The Chicago Cubs have agreed to a two-year deal with left-handed reliever John Grabow.

The Chicago Cubs announced their 35-game Spring Training schedule for the 2010 season. The club will play 15 home games at HoHoKam Park, 18 road games in Arizona (including a pair of games at Chase Field to close the exhibition schedule) and two games in Las Vegas against the Chicago White S...

By Al Individual game tickets for the 2010 Chicago Cubs home spring training games at HoHoKam Park will go on sale Tuesday, January 5 at 10 a.m. CST on www.cubs.com or by calling 1-800-905-3315. The ticket box office at HoHoKam Park will open for the sale of individual game tickets beginning on Janua...

By Matt Trueblood As the Cubs look toward 2010, General Manager Jim Hendry has to be pleased with the quartet he has assembled atop his starting rotation. In Ted Lilly, Carlos Zambrano, Ryan Dempster and Randy Wells, the Cubs have as deep a four-man staff as any in the National League, albeit not the most tale...

By shawndgoldman Let's start with the 2009 roster. The Cubs have already committed ~$122,658,333 to 10 players from 2009 plus Luis Vizciano: Alfonso Soriano, Carlos Zambrano, Aramis Ramirez, Kosuke Fukudome, Ryan Dempster, Derrek Lee, Ted Lilly, Milton Bradley, Jeff Samardzija, and Aaron Miles. Al pr...

By hosts@cubscast.com Episode: 571 - Curtis Granderson Rumor Takes Off, Who If Anyone In the Cubs System is Untouchable, Randy Wells and Other ROY Candidates, and a Roundup of NL Central News (November 16) - Cubscast 2009 Season Podcasts - Cubscast.com - Hosted By: Lou, Sheps & Sneetch

LHP John Grabow appeared close to re-signing with the Cubs at the general managers meetings, but Cubs GM Jim Hendry still had more meetings scheduled with Grabow's agent. Grabow figures to be the top left-handed setup man to closer Carlos Marmol if the Cubs can get the deal done. Grabow appe...

By Chuck(noreply@blogger.com) Speaking of replay, it's interesting how much instant replay has been the focus of the sport world of late. The Major League Baseball playoffs were littered with obvious mistakes that would take one quick glance to overturn on instant replay. Alex Rodriguez had a double that was turned int...

By GC While the Cubs’ hopes of sending Milton Bradley to Toronto have been noted previously, Fox Sports’ Ken Rosenthal today claims such a move, however unlikely, would involve Luis Castillo going to Wrigley and underachieving 1B Lyle Overbay becoming a member of the New York Mets.

By Dylan Sharek In the Florida State League All-Star Game, he went 4-for-4 with an inside-the-park homerun. Scouts immediately began the comparisons, ranging from Alfonso Soriano to Edgar Renteria. According to Baseball America , Andrus had:

By Dylan Sharek After the 2011 season, the Chicago Cubs will have to make a choice: keep third baseman Aramis Ramirez and purchase his club option for $16 million, or let him hit the market and buy the remainder of the contract for $2 million. That’s an $11.5 million decision the Chicago Cubs will have to make...

By hosts@cubscast.com Episode: 568 - Type A Free Agents on the Cubs and what that Means, Joe Girardi v. Lou Piniella, and the Chances of Ronnie Woo Woo Getting a Sit-Down with the Cubs New Owners (November 6) - Cubscast 2009 Season Podcasts - Cubscast.com - Hosted By: Lou, Sheps & Sneetch

By Kurt capitalize off the fame of the ballpark by selling naming rights you will face staunch opposition from the vast majority of the fans.  They apparently don't realize that Wrigley Field was the first ballpark to be named after a brand.

By BY MARK POTASH | Commentary Now that the Cubs have signed the supposed best hitting coach in baseball in Rudy Jarmillo, maybe they can start thinking really big and go after a coach who can make an even bigger difference: Cardinals pitching guru Dave Duncan.

By Al With still more than 24 hours to go before the league championship series begin, mainly thanks to three sweeps and one four-game division series, here are a few Cub and baseball-related notes for you to pick over today. Starlin Castro went 3-for-5 in his first Arizona Fall League game yest...

By Arcturus(four2productions@gmail.com) Jim Edmonds. I personally thought Jim Edmonds was done and that this was a terrible signing. I had to eat my words, as Edmonds came back from the dead and gave the Cubs some solid baseball. And just for fun, here are two guys that Jim Hendry has coveted over the years that he wasn't able to sign or tr...

By DGU Aramis Ramirez  - For the past few years, even as other 3B have slipped in or out of this category, Aramis Ramirez has undoubtedly and consistently been a top 5 3B in the MLs.  Since coming under Lou's tutelage, Ramirez has added more patience to his game, making him a more complete hitter, a...

By Kurt Following the Cubs 2003 grasp at glory, Jim Hendry made some swooping moves to make the team even better in 2004.  One of the best of these moves was a deal with the always-money-conscious Marlins for a then-27-year-old first baseman who had, in Rob's words, been the least-threatening mem...

By Al Ted Lilly has faced the Reds only once this year -- on April 22 at Wrigley Field -- and pitched well, giving up only an unearned run in seven innings. The Cubs scored zero runs that day, however, resulting in a loss for Ted. Joey Votto has hit two HR off Ted in 16 career AB.

By Matt Trueblood For the third consecutive year, the Chicago Cubs have gotten sparkling performances out of their starting rotation. Even with injuries to each of the top four slated starters, and inconsistent play from Carlos Zambrano, Ryan Dempster and Rich Harden, the team's starters have been thei...

By Adam Blank(noreply@blogger.com) Derrek Lee Like the great phoenix He arose from the ashes One year too late, though. Alfonso Soriano His defense, ghastly His offense, negligible Says knees are the cause Kosuke Fukudome Like Fukudome, My Japanese poetry... Needs much improvement

By hosts@cubscast.com Episode: 555 - PBS Telethon: The Cubs Tie the MLB Record for Most Hits to Start a Game and Sweep the Pirates, a New Cubscast Bingo Game, Sell or Buy Discusses Team Needs for Next Year, Which Fanbase Suffers the Most, and the Soriano Surgery Question (September 9) - Cubscast 2009 Season Podca...

By Kurt That vacancy, the leadoff man, is still with us to this day.  But Jim's attempt to bring the Mad Dog in to finish a five-man rotation already boasting Kerry Wood, Mark Prior, Carlos Zambrano and Matt Clement, came to fruition right before Spring Training 2004.  I have to admit, I loved it!  Ev...

By Kurt Derrek Lee - D.P.Lee has had a shockingly good season, and in the past week he's hit 3 homeruns, driven in 5 RBI, and is batting .360. He's joined in this surprisingly productive week by Milton Bradley, who also is batting .360 over the past week but with 2 more doubles and 2 fewer homeruns. Also ligh...

By Joe Huber He's still a major league pitcher, just not in the American League, and definitely not in the AL East. Smoltz might not end up on the Northside of Chicago, but if he does land with another MLB team, it will probably be in the National League.

By hosts@cubscast.com Episode: 544 - The Cubs Drop Two More Games and a Beer to the Phillies, the Thread of the Week, and the Debut of a New Cubscast Segment Called 'The Good, The Bad and The Ugly' (August 14) - Cubscast 2009 Season Podcasts - Cubscast.com - Hosted By: Lou, Sheps & Sneetch

By hosts@cubscast.com Episode: 543 - The Cubs Are Crushed by the Rockies and Then Lose a Heartbreaker to the Phillies, Two Instant Replay Reviews, Lou Says Something Dirty, Aram Still Out, Jeff Samardzija v. Pedro Martinez, and How the Cubs Can Stay in the Race (August 12) - Cubscast 2009 Season Podcasts - Cubsca...

By Mark Strotman It has the God-awful starting pitching of the Milwaukee Brewers and the ever-fading Houston Astros. If the Cubs win the National League Central and the Wild Card comes from the National League West, or if the Cubs win the Wild Card, they will visit Chavez Ravine to start the playoffs.

By Ryan Winn Just a month ago, they traded their most promising star, center fielder Nate McClouth, to the Atlanta Braves for three minor leaguers. That won't do, as Derrek Lee has been on a tear in the spot, and Aramis Ramirez and Milton Bradley are poised to jump in at any time.

By thisyearcub • Cardinals' bullpen: The Achilles' heel of this team. This group makes the Cubs' pen look pretty good, and that's saying something. Hopefully the Cubs' bats can force La Russa's hand to go to the pen. If you're bored/frustrated, turn to: Seriously? This is the first game of Cards/Cubs at Wri...

By hosts@cubscast.com Episode: 499 - Opening Day 2009 Is Finally Here: Preview of Cubs and Zambrano vs. Astros and Oswalt, Part I of an Interview with Cubs Play By Play Man Len Kasper, and an Announcement of a Technological Advancement: 140 Characters from Home Plate (April 6) - Cubscast 2009 Season Podcasts - Cu...

By Al Soriano, LF Theriot, SS Lee, 1B Bradley, RF Ramirez, 3B Johnson, CF Soto, C Miles, 2B Gaudin, P Kosuke Fukudome will be returning to camp soon, and will have a lot to prove to fans and teammates who saw his free-fall in the second half of last year. One place he won't be going is the minors:

By thisyearcub After dropping a heartbreaker (not really) in the ninth last night, the Chicago crosstown rivals are back at it again in Vegas and its tiny ballpark. And for the second straight day, it's on WGN. Hooray for televised spring training baseball!  

By Roman Modrowski Just heard Lou Piniella on the Waddle & Silvy show, and while he didn't come out and say the media played a role in the Cubs' playoff collapse, he left that window slightly open. And I'm sure it is difficult to be in Lou's situation. Just ask Ozzie, who always says the focus is much sharper on...

By Jon Greenberg But this team has been so good all year, and the rest of the National League so average, it seemed predestined that in the 100th anniversary of the Cubs' last World Series title, they would win again and exorcise the old demons that have haunted this club and its fans for so long.

By brosage@mvn.com (Joe Aiello and Brandon Rosage) With the NL Central Division Championship in hand Thursday, the Chicago Cubs decided to give Mark DeRosa, one of their most valuable bats and versatile defenders, a few days of rest. DeRosa suffered a strained calf in Wednesday’s 9-6, 10-inning win over the New York Mets.

Yeah, don't let them say that it's just a game. Well, I've seen other teams and it is never the same. When you go to Chicago, you're blessed and you're healed, The first time you walk into Wrigley Field. Heroes with pinstripes and heroes in blue, Give us the chance to feel like heroes do.

By tophersteven@gmail.com (Chris De Salvo) Kevin wrote, "If they do manage to win the World Series, you'll talk about it for a few days. You'll then realize the suffering you get high on is gone." Yeah. For some, this is true. For the college kids who get too drunk to text their parents what time they'll be back at the Metra Station. For the family from Macomb who drove three hours just for a glimpse of Wrigley Field. For Mark Cuban. For the countless trixies who relentlessly unbutton the tops of their pink cub jerseys just in case WGN's cameras find them stumbling through the stands. For that guy in the stands who insists on blaming Steve Bartman. As for the postseason. Let's get past St. Louis first.   [read the full post]

By Paul Johnson Thursday, September 4, 2008 Settle Down, Cubs Fans Cubs fans are genetically predispositioned to expect the worst. Not winning for a century will tend to do that to a fan base. But when looking at the current five-game losing streak and the arm problems of pitchers Carlos Zambrano and Rich H...

By Leitch For the third consecutive season, we are proud to introduce the Deadspin Baseball Season Previews. Yes, baseball is awfully close now; heck, they're playing real games in Japan tomorrow. Today: The Chicago Cubs. Your author is Mike Bruno.