Tagged: mlb

What’s Good After Week One?

As we come to the closing of the first week in the 2012 MLB season, many Cubs’ fans are disheartened by the team’s performance thus far.  Realistically, the Cubs’ record should be 3-2; however, after two blown leads by the bullpen occurring twice in the 8th inning, the Cubs sit at 1-4.  But I’m here to provide support to my fellow fans, and hopefully give a glimmer of hope for the direction the organization is headed.  Let’s look at the areas in which the team has performed well in after week one:

Starting Pitching:

  • Granted, the efforts of Chris Volstad and Paul Maholm are still fresh in everyone’s mind, the Cubs rotation has looked decent.  Dempster, Garza and Samardzija have pitched strong performances in their season debuts, protecting the team’s late game leads to only have the bullpen give it away. Here are the numbers compared to the league:
    • Strike Outs: 1st (31)
    • WHIP: 4th (0.96)
    • HR: 5th (5)
    • IP: 6th (31.1)
    • OPP AVG: 7th (.196)
    • Runs:  9th (15)
    • ERA: 15th (3.73)

Aggressive Base Running:

  • Besides the gaff by Mather representing the tying run during the season opener by being thrown out at home, the Cubs have been running the bases smarter and harder. The Cubs led the league in triples (3) and are ranked 17th in doubles (6). Fans have noticed the hustle down the first base line by Cubs’ batters, even when the play is a routine out; we are very appreciative of the efforts.
  • After finishing the 2011 season ranked 28th in the MLB in Stolen Bases (69), the Cubs are currently ranked 2nd with 5. At this point, the Cubs are averaging one stolen base per game and are on pace to amass 162 stolen bases for the season.

Defensive Play:

  • From Ian Stewart’s throw from his knees to Soriano laying out to in left field, the Cubs have looked better defensively.  They are tied second in the league for fewest errors committed (2), tied fifth in the league for base runners caught stealing (2), and are tied seventh in the league for fielding percentage (.989).  Every fielder is making smart throws, hitting the cutoff man and moving around the diamond effectively in support of each position.

So Cubs’ fans, not everything is terrible with start of this season. Yes, the team has only one win, but remember, this team is rebuilding and moving in the right direction. The on field play proves this. Just like the show, the numbers never lie…

10 Things We Know After Tonight’s Game

Few things we know are for certain going into tomorrow’s 10 April 2012 series of MLB games:

1) The Brewers are a fundamentally sound ball club at the plate: advancing runners, sacrifice flies and scoring on squeeze bunts down the line.

2) Sveum is going to use the season in order to develop the young players of this ball club; winning isn’t as important at this point.

3) DeJesus’ arm will be sore after throwing at least four cross-field throws to 3rd and home plate from right field.

4) Soriano was unable to chase down fly balls that a younger left fielder would have been able to snag. What we are not certain of is why: is it age, past hamstring problems, other injuries or commitment issues?

5) Maybe it was the intra-division rivalry, but Braun faced negative reactions during his first game away from the safety of his home field. This will likely continue throughout the season.

6) Cubs’ fans are mixed about Ramirez’s return to Wrigley, and the errors continue as seen in during bottom of the 9th.

7) This young Cubs team is full of fighters who will not quit, even when down four runs in the bottom of the 9th (as many fans felt differently during the past few seasons).

8) Axford is not invincible.

9) Whoever tracks the attendance record for Cubs home games may not be the best attendance record keeper in the MLB. The reported attendance was 38,136. I watched from home, but there seemed to be a lot of empty seats for only having 3,000 less in attendance from the home opener.

10) Cubs’ fans are diehard and will tweet all game long and thereafter!

It was another loss, but this loss stung much less than the previous two and I’m left with a feeling of hope for the remainder of this series.

I am One Lucky Cubs Fan

An early post I wrote recanted my first Cubs game at Wrigley Field this past September. I was lucky to have such an experience. The organization had set the bar pretty high, how could any game ever compare to this?

I recently gave into joining the Twitter community, after having ‘bucked’ the system for the past year or so. I began by following Cubs players, following Kerry Wood, Ian Stewart, David DeJesus, Paul Maholm and others. Paul tweeted he would host a trivia giveaway on 22 March 2012. The last question Paul asked was who had he [Paul] hit his only career home run off of and where. He also stated the first correct answer would win two tickets for the Cubs home opener. Within seconds I answered. This is the response I received:

I arrived to the game at the game early to pick-up my tickets. I fully expected for the seats to be in the upper section of the stadium, which would have been fine as they were free tickets, but the tickets had a surprise of their own:

We went into the stadium and found our seats, which were on section up from home plate; a great view:

As we’re sitting, waiting for the opening day ceremonies to begin, I check my phone and notice I have a direct message from Paul. He said he was about to come onto the field and would look for me; I figured a friendly wave, head nod or something to that effect. A few minutes later, a gentlemen in a suit approaches us, ask if I am Josh and says Mr. Maholm would like to meet us. We are ushered to a sectioned area and Paul is already there waiting. We shake hands, exchange pleasantries; I wish him luck during the season, he thanks me for my service:

Unfortunately, I have only been to two games at Wrigley Field. However, both games have been experiences that I will never forget. The Cubs’ players and organization have been great to this fan. I’m not sure how many other organizations are the same way, but for these experiences I am grateful!

Stay Classy Cubs Fans…

I was fortunate to attend Cubs’ Opening Day for the start of the 2012 MLB season (a great recap of the game can be found here). While driving back to Fort Knox, I listened to ESPN 1000 to catch highlights of opening day from around the league. Instead, what I found myself listening to was disheartened Cubs fans angry and bitter about the Cubs opening day lose. I had to turn off the radio, I felt so betrayed.

Fans commented on many aspects of the game: stating this was typical Cubs fashion, a sign of things to come throughout the season, terrible pitching from the bullpen, poor decisions from Sveum, a lackluster ball club, Theo should become accustom to these events and many others. These were not the same Cubs fans I have read and listened to throughout spring training. Where was the excitement, the hope, the understanding that the organization is in a revamping stage?

Consider the following factors:

1)     Before Wood/Marmol gave away the Cubs’ lead, Dempster pitched an impressive game (7-2/3IP, 2H, 3BB, 1ER, 10SO). However, it took Dempster three innings to adjust to the weather conditions (explained in my next point) and to the home plate umpire’s strike zone. Dempster struggled with his command early (his three walks were in the first/third innings) and gave up two big hits (which could have resulted in seven runs for the Nationals, but thankfully the wind was blowing into Wrigley). Wood had 25 pitches and Marmol had 16 pitches to make adjustments; it took Dempster 54 of 108 pitches to make these same adjustments before he ultimately gained his composure and retired the next 11 batters. Wood also had 41,000 fans chanting on opening day with a 1-0 lead, which would shake any vets’ nerves.

2)     The drastic change in weather conditions between Mesa, AZ and Chicago was evident for Dempster and Wood. Granted, the weather in Chicago has been above average this spring, the average temperature throughout March in Mesa was 77 degrees (84 degrees the last 10-days of March). Yesterday’s high temperature was 49 degrees with winds bellowing between 17-22mph during the game. The cold was obviously hindering Dempster and Wood’s grip and control of the ball as they both blew hot air on their pitching hand in attempts to warm-up.

3)     Yes, the Cubs have struggled with base running and the coaching staff indicated they worked on this area throughout the spring. Joe Mather’s performance yesterday has fans scratching their heads in wonderment, thinking “Really!?” Understand, Mather came into the game as a pinch runner, standing on third, representing the tying run in the bottom of the ninth inning, on opening day. Should he have run? No. Why did he run? More than likely the excitement got to him. This is in no-way shape or form an indication of unimproved base running.

Granted, Cubs fans have every reason to be disgruntled with the organization throughout the past 103 seasons. However, if I felt that the true blue Cubs fans were betraying their team after just one game (the first game) of the season, I’m sure the Cubs players/organization feel the same way. My advice to Cubs fans: remain loyal to your team; don’t go off the deep-end after the first blown game of the season (it happens in 162 games!); and have hope, understand the organization is revamping and look forward to the next few seasons – we’re moving in the right direction.

IN THEO WE TRUST!

What’s in a Name?

After creating this blog with the mindset to discuss all things from the past, present and future of our beloved Chicago Cubs, I have had a few readers question the web address title. The address contains the title The Chicago White Stockings, and it appears that a majority of Cubs fans are unaware of the founding history of our Cubbies. What better way to first post “Historic Facts” on this blog than to discuss the founding of our Chicago Cubs!?

The Chicago White Stockings was the founding name for the professional baseball team that would later become known as the Chicago Cubs. The team was founded in 1870. This was before the National League or American League had developed, thus the White Stockings competed against a small, limited number of teams. The team was governed by the National Association of Professional Baseball Players and competed to have the best overall record by the end of the season.

In 1876, the league was re-organized into the National League. The league still held a limited number of teams; eight in the inaugural season, six teams for the second and third seasons, and then back to eight teams until 1891. The World Series had not been created yet, and neither had the post-season, but the team with the best overall record at the end of the season was awarded the National League Pennant. The Chicago White Stockings are credited for having won the first ever pennant in the history of organized professional baseball with a record of 52-14.

The White Stockings best players were infielders Ross Barnes, Deacon White, Adrian “Cap” Anson and star pitcher Albert Spalding. In the inaugural season of the NL, Barnes led the league in batting average with a .429 and Spalding won 47 games. Albert Spalding is also the founder of the Spalding sports equipment chain, which every sports fan knows this chain makes balls for a variety of sports. (This author was also surprised to learn that Spalding was born and raised in Byron, IL; which is the author’s hometown.) Spalding would later take ownership of the ball club. Anson was the first player in history credited with collecting 3,000 career hits and became the first “super star” of baseball. The White stockings would later three-peat as champions, winning the National League Pennant from 1880-1882, becoming one of the top teams of the league.

In 1882, the American Association was formed as a second major league baseball organization to rival the National League. This ultimately led to the creation of the first World Series games starting in 1884. Although unofficially recognized and largely seen as an exhibition match, the games pitted the top team from each league against one another. The Chicago White Stockings competed in two of these matches in 1885 (resulting in a tie with ST Louis Browns) and again in 1886 (losing to ST Louis Browns). In total, the Chicago White Stockings won six National League Pennants and appeared in two World Series games between 1876 and 1886.

In 1890, the Chicago White Stockings changed their name to the Chicago Colts or better known as “Anson’s Colts.” When Anson left the team in 1898, the team name changed to the Chicago Orphans due to the loss of the teams’ super star. The team name was once again changed in 1902 when Spalding sold the Orphans to new ownership and the team became the Chicago Cubs.

So here in a brief historical lesson is the development of what is affectionately known as the Chicago Cubs. I hope this clarifies some confusion as to why the web address for this blog is thechicagowhitestocking.wordpress.com and I hope I provided some interesting insight for our Cubbies.