As a Cubs fan, it's that time of year when we swallow our pride, stick our tail between our legs and say those famous words that have been said for so many years now..."next year is our year". As the first half of the season has come to an end, the Cubs are staring at an 11 game hole between them and first place. As I am a realist, it's easy to see that there is no way that they could play virtually .750 ball the second half of the season just to have a shot at getting back into it. Since I can now put closure to a season that should have been, let's take a look at next season that will be.
Over the past decade the Cubs have had the "win now" attitude during free agency periods. They have laid out millions of dollars to players in their prime, banking the future of the franchise on these players in hopes of winning the ultimate award. Since 2003, this only came close three times. 2003 was the year for the team. We all know about the Bartman incident. That horse has been beaten for long enough, and I could go on for quite some time about that not being the reason the Cubs lost the series, but I'll save that for a later day. 2008 was the other year they really had a shot at winning, only to get swept out of the playoffs by the Dodgers.
The Cubs have some hope going into this next free agency period. Some big contracts will be coming off the books, freeing up cash for them to spend on other free agents. Let's hope that they spend wisely this year and not throw huge contracts at players who have already peaked. The management of the team will definitely be questioned from the front office to the dugout. Another blog topic for a later date as well.
Looking at the players under contract for next year and those projected to be available in free agency, here's the squad I would like to see the Cubs field next year:
Starting Infield:
Catcher: Geovany Soto: Soto is arbitration eligible for the second time this offseason. He should be tendered a decent contract for an extended time. He still has plenty of value to the team and should be behind the dish for the next five years.
1st Base: Prince Fielder: I know everyone is saying Albert Pujols, but look at the numbers. Pujols is starting his decline. He wants a 10 year contract, which at his age is way too many years. Prince is only 28 and only beginning to peak. He could be the cornerstone for the Cubs offense for many years at first and should come at a slightly lower price tag than Albert.
2nd Base: Darwin Barney: This kid has mad skills and will be a staple at 2nd for many years with the Cubs.
Shortstop: Starlin Castro: Another young stud who will be a staple at short for many years. Him and Barney make a great middle infield tandem.
3rd Base: Aramis Ramirez: I know we have seen decline in A-Ram, but if the Cubs could add Fielder, they add protection for Aramis. He will see better pitching than he has, which will hopefully lead to better numbers.
LF: Alfonso Soriano: Bad contract the team is stuck with. He's paid too much money to sit the bench.
CF: Marlon Byrd: Byrd is a good player who could help to groom Tony Campana to replace him in this spot in the next year or so. If there was a way to get Soriano off the club, Byrd would be in LF and Campana in CF.
RF: Tyler Colvin: Colvin has show flashes of brilliance in his time in the bigs. Give him this year in Iowa with a possible late season call up to get some more big league swings.
Batting Order:
Byrd
Barney
Castro
Ramirez
Fielder
Soto
Soriano
Colvin
(Pitcher Spot)
Bench:
Jeff Baker: Good utility player who can fill in at many positions
Tony Campana: Young speedster who is the CF of the future
Lou Montanez: Quality bench player with a strong arm in the outfield
Reed Johnson: Great team player who can fill in anywhere in the outfield
Blake DeWitt: Good infield fill in with a decent bat
Correction here...instead of DeWitt, Koyie Hill would be here. Need that backup catcher. My little brain fart.
Starting Rotation:
Ryan Dempster: Demp controls his fate with his player option. He's been a solid pitcher for the Cubs, and I could see him pitching one more year in the bigs and finishing his career with the Cubs.
Matt Garza: Young arm the Cubs have to resign giving what they gave up to get him from the Rays. If he can stay healthy he could be a good number 2 next year.
Carlos Zambrano: No one will take on his contract and with only a year left he will finish his career in Chicago.
Randy Wells: A solid number 4/5 in the rotation
Andrew Cashner: When healthy a solid 4/5 in the rotation.
Closer:
Carlos Marmol: Wicked stuff, good quality closer. He's their closer for many years
Bench:
Sean Marshall: Nasty lefty specialist. He could be used as a starter as well if needed.
Kerry Wood: He's got a year or two left in his arm. He will finish his career where it all began.
Jeff Samardzija: With some work his numbers will get better.
James Russell: Decent lefty for the pen. Better option than Grabow would be.
Marcos Mateo: Good righty that can be a long man in the pen.
Chris Carpenter: Young and has potential.
This lineup would put the Cubs in playoff contention not only next year but for years to come. A lot of young talent with a few veterans to help lead the way.
Saturday, July 2, 2011
Saturday, June 18, 2011
Best NHL Playoffs
It's only been a few days since the end of the NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs and I already miss them. The last two months have been the best in hockey for as long as I remember. Through 15 series in the playoffs, 7 went to game 7. 22 total games went to OT. 2 series saw a team go up 3-0 only to see the other team come back to force a game 7. So much drama and such high level of play throughout made these playoffs arguably the best of all time.
In the first round, 4 of the 8 series went 7 games. One of those had Vancouver going up 3-0 on the Blackhawks only to have them win 3 straight to force game 7. That game 7 takes overtime for the Canucks to win. The Sharks vs. Kings series had 3 of 6 games going to overtime. It also had the Sharks overcoming a 4-0 defecit in Game 3 to come back and win. 14 of 49 games went to at least one overtime period. 3 of those went to double overtime. Now that's a ton of drama in the first series. You would expect for that to be the climax, but lucky for us it wasn't.
Round 2 was rather calm compared to the first except for the Sharks vs Red Wings series. This was the only series to go 7 games in the round. Of the 7 games only one was won by more than one goal. Game 6 was 3-1 Detroit, though the 3rd goal was an empty netter. The Sharks won the first 3 games and looked to be in control of the series. Detroit fought back winning the next 3 to force game 7 in San Jose. San Jose was able to hold on to win it and move on. Of the 7 games, 2 went to OT. This was by far the hardest fought series and most dramatic of all time.
The conference finals gave us once again another game 7 in the Eastern Conference. Boston took 7 to overcome the Lightning. Tim Thomas had 2 shutouts in this series including Game 7. In the West, Vancouver was able to get over on San Jose in 5 games. In Game 5 Vancouver tied it up with 13.2 seconds left in regulation. The goal should have been negated by a missed icing call. The Canucks were able to hold on and win on a fluke goal in double OT. The puck took the weirdest bounce off the glass and caught everyone off guard. San Jose was sent home disappointed once again.
Now to the Stanley Cup finals. An epic first 2 games both won by a 1 goal margin by the Canucks in Vancouver. Game 3 had Aaron Rome of Vancouver taking a cheap shot at Nathan Horton of the Bruins. Horton was knocked out with a major concussion and never made it back on the ice. Rome was given a game misconduct then suspended by the league for 4 games. The Bruins used that incident to fuel them through the rest of the series. Games 3 and 4 turned out to be blow outs by Boston. Back to Vancouver for another 1 goal win in overtime. Game 6 saw another blowout by the Bruins in Boston. Through 6 games, no visiting team had won a game. The Bruins had the momentum going into the game, but Vancouver had home ice. The Bruins got up on Vancouver near the end of the first period. Thomas then continued his dominance shutting the door on Vancouver for the next 2 periods. In the end Boston hoisted Lord Stanley's Cup. Tim Thomas won the MVP. Vancouver fans rioted. 100 arrests and 150 injured. A classless way to end a series that showed a lot of classless play by the Canucks.
To Thomas' credit, he was in the net for 25 games this playoff season, with 3 being game 7. He posted 4 shutouts with 2 of those coming in Game 7's. He was the rock of the Bruins the entire playoffs and was well deserved of the MVP award.
In the first round, 4 of the 8 series went 7 games. One of those had Vancouver going up 3-0 on the Blackhawks only to have them win 3 straight to force game 7. That game 7 takes overtime for the Canucks to win. The Sharks vs. Kings series had 3 of 6 games going to overtime. It also had the Sharks overcoming a 4-0 defecit in Game 3 to come back and win. 14 of 49 games went to at least one overtime period. 3 of those went to double overtime. Now that's a ton of drama in the first series. You would expect for that to be the climax, but lucky for us it wasn't.
Round 2 was rather calm compared to the first except for the Sharks vs Red Wings series. This was the only series to go 7 games in the round. Of the 7 games only one was won by more than one goal. Game 6 was 3-1 Detroit, though the 3rd goal was an empty netter. The Sharks won the first 3 games and looked to be in control of the series. Detroit fought back winning the next 3 to force game 7 in San Jose. San Jose was able to hold on to win it and move on. Of the 7 games, 2 went to OT. This was by far the hardest fought series and most dramatic of all time.
The conference finals gave us once again another game 7 in the Eastern Conference. Boston took 7 to overcome the Lightning. Tim Thomas had 2 shutouts in this series including Game 7. In the West, Vancouver was able to get over on San Jose in 5 games. In Game 5 Vancouver tied it up with 13.2 seconds left in regulation. The goal should have been negated by a missed icing call. The Canucks were able to hold on and win on a fluke goal in double OT. The puck took the weirdest bounce off the glass and caught everyone off guard. San Jose was sent home disappointed once again.
Now to the Stanley Cup finals. An epic first 2 games both won by a 1 goal margin by the Canucks in Vancouver. Game 3 had Aaron Rome of Vancouver taking a cheap shot at Nathan Horton of the Bruins. Horton was knocked out with a major concussion and never made it back on the ice. Rome was given a game misconduct then suspended by the league for 4 games. The Bruins used that incident to fuel them through the rest of the series. Games 3 and 4 turned out to be blow outs by Boston. Back to Vancouver for another 1 goal win in overtime. Game 6 saw another blowout by the Bruins in Boston. Through 6 games, no visiting team had won a game. The Bruins had the momentum going into the game, but Vancouver had home ice. The Bruins got up on Vancouver near the end of the first period. Thomas then continued his dominance shutting the door on Vancouver for the next 2 periods. In the end Boston hoisted Lord Stanley's Cup. Tim Thomas won the MVP. Vancouver fans rioted. 100 arrests and 150 injured. A classless way to end a series that showed a lot of classless play by the Canucks.
To Thomas' credit, he was in the net for 25 games this playoff season, with 3 being game 7. He posted 4 shutouts with 2 of those coming in Game 7's. He was the rock of the Bruins the entire playoffs and was well deserved of the MVP award.
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
Game 7 Goes to the Bruins!
Tomorrow marks the 7th game 7 of these NHL playoffs. It also marks the first time that the Bruins have ever played a Game 7 in the Stanley Cup finals. The Canucks faced a Game 7 in Vancouver in the finals in 1994. That one ended with the Rangers hoisting the Cup on Vancouver ice. So the question is, how will this game 7 turn out?
Looking at the numbers in this series, the Bruins should have finished off the Canucks already. All 3 losses came in Vancouver and all 3 were 1 goal losses. The 3 wins in Boston were all blow outs. Now why can't they keep up that same intensity on the road as they have at home? If the Bruins play sound defense and keep hitting the way they have at home, game 7 will be theirs. If the try and get too fancy on defense as we have seen they are done with. The key is for them to get an early lead and extend it. Knock the Canucks out of the game at the start.
The key for the Canucks lays in the hands and skates of the Sedin twins. They are one of the key factors for the Canucks making it this far. They both played stellar throughout the playoffs until now. What happened? They have both pretty much disappeared. They have combined for 2 goals and 3 assists in 6 games with a combined -4 rating. If they keep playing this nonexistent style in Game 7, the Canucks will be left without the Cup once again. The Sedins need to each get on the scoreboard with either goals or assists if they want to win. Kessler is injured, Raymond gone, it's time for them to lead the team.
Looking at all of this I think the Bruins will be the team to prevail. It won't be a blow out like games 3,4, and 6. I'm thinking it will be a 3-1 final with the 3rd goal coming on an empty netter. Tim Thomas will win the MVP, as he deserves it whether the Bruins win or lose. No one has been more consistant in this round than him.
The Cup will be hoisted tomorrow night by the Black and Gold! It will be back in Boston for the first time since 1972. Go Bruins!
Looking at the numbers in this series, the Bruins should have finished off the Canucks already. All 3 losses came in Vancouver and all 3 were 1 goal losses. The 3 wins in Boston were all blow outs. Now why can't they keep up that same intensity on the road as they have at home? If the Bruins play sound defense and keep hitting the way they have at home, game 7 will be theirs. If the try and get too fancy on defense as we have seen they are done with. The key is for them to get an early lead and extend it. Knock the Canucks out of the game at the start.
The key for the Canucks lays in the hands and skates of the Sedin twins. They are one of the key factors for the Canucks making it this far. They both played stellar throughout the playoffs until now. What happened? They have both pretty much disappeared. They have combined for 2 goals and 3 assists in 6 games with a combined -4 rating. If they keep playing this nonexistent style in Game 7, the Canucks will be left without the Cup once again. The Sedins need to each get on the scoreboard with either goals or assists if they want to win. Kessler is injured, Raymond gone, it's time for them to lead the team.
Looking at all of this I think the Bruins will be the team to prevail. It won't be a blow out like games 3,4, and 6. I'm thinking it will be a 3-1 final with the 3rd goal coming on an empty netter. Tim Thomas will win the MVP, as he deserves it whether the Bruins win or lose. No one has been more consistant in this round than him.
The Cup will be hoisted tomorrow night by the Black and Gold! It will be back in Boston for the first time since 1972. Go Bruins!
Monday, June 6, 2011
Is Big Z the Real Problem in Chicago?
Now we all know that Carlos Zambrano is a fiery person who speaks his mind. We also know that when he does speak his mind it usually leads to good media fodder. Do these rants destroy the team morale? Do they cause rifts between him and management? Does this make Big Z be the real problem in Wrigley? I don't think so.
The issue with the Cubs is not Zambrano alone. Yes he may be part of the overall issue, but certainly he is not the only issue that has lead to another dismal season for the Cubs.
The issue with the Cubs starts right at the top of the organization. When the Ricketts family bought the Cubs, I hoped for a huge change. Unfortunately this hasn't happened. Jim Hendry should not be in the organization anymore. Ryne Sandberg should be the manager of this team, not Mike Quade. Players relate to coaches that were once players, especially those that played at the level Ryno did.
With a few of the terrible contracts the Cubs have tendered coming off the books after this season, lets all hope for big changes on the North Side. Not only with players but with management as well. Mr. Ricketts, please listen to your team's fans. They know a little more than you think.
Big Z, keep up the rants. It's about the only thing us fans have to keep us entertained this season.
The issue with the Cubs is not Zambrano alone. Yes he may be part of the overall issue, but certainly he is not the only issue that has lead to another dismal season for the Cubs.
The issue with the Cubs starts right at the top of the organization. When the Ricketts family bought the Cubs, I hoped for a huge change. Unfortunately this hasn't happened. Jim Hendry should not be in the organization anymore. Ryne Sandberg should be the manager of this team, not Mike Quade. Players relate to coaches that were once players, especially those that played at the level Ryno did.
With a few of the terrible contracts the Cubs have tendered coming off the books after this season, lets all hope for big changes on the North Side. Not only with players but with management as well. Mr. Ricketts, please listen to your team's fans. They know a little more than you think.
Big Z, keep up the rants. It's about the only thing us fans have to keep us entertained this season.
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