Spending a week on a cruise ship tends to take you out of the sports loop.
That was my situation last week as I tuned into ESPN in my cabin and caught the hosts of Baseball Tonight talking about Texas Ranger's outfielder Josh Hamilton.
I didn't catch the beginning, but what I heard was something like, "If Hamilton didn't get messed up with drugs at the beginning of his career, he might be on his way to the Hall of Fame."
That brought back some very bad memories for me. The Chicago Cubs had him for a second in 2006 before GM Jim Hendry ...
I guess yesterday's news involving Lou Piniella ending all doubt and saying he will not be back next year is good news for me. I won't have to write anymore "fire Lou Piniella" columns.
But why is he still in Chicago? What is to be gained by that?
The team he has managed is going nowhere. They have been lifeless all year, and now they are playing for a lame-duck manager.
What is there to inspire them to play hard the rest of the way?
They know Piniella won't have any say if they're around next year. Jim Hendry will be evaluating them, and ...
Mount Zambrano erupted again yesterday during the Chicago Cub-Chicago White Sox Crosstown Classic because of his perception of a lack of effort by some of his teammates in the first inning where he gave up four runs.
Everyone is saying the Cubs should get rid of him because of his emotional outburst in the dugout.
I say it's about time somebody on this team showed some life and that they cared about what's happening on the field.
Former Arizona Diamondback manager and current Cub color analyst Bob Brenly said after the incident, "It's good to see somebody show some emotion, because this has ...
Thin-skinned Chicago Cubs manager Lou Piniella took exception to criticism about his use of rookie outfielder Tyler Colvin and went on a tirade before yesterday's contest against crosstown rivals the Chicago White Sox.
Perhaps he should be worrying about the way his team is playing instead of the outside criticism about his decision.
Part of the description of your job as a manager is that people will criticize you. Until Piniella went off yesterday I didn't know you had to have certain credentials before you were allowed to express your opinion.
White Sox color analyst Steve Stone took the brunt of the rant along ...
As Chicago Cubs' starter Carlos Silva morphs into a Cy Young candidate so far early in the 2010 season, Cubs General Manager Jim Hendry is getting more than his share of credit for pulling off that trade.
That credit is completely unwarranted.
You don't get credit for signing the worst possible fit for your team in 2009 in Milton Bradley and ruining the season, and then receive accolades because the Seattle Mariners dumped their refuse on you and he turns out much better than expected, at least for now.
Actually even if Silva completely bombs the rest of the season, the trade still ...
With the Cubs floundering and appearing like a rudderless ship, the question arises if the clock is ticking on manager Lou Piniella's job.
Mired in mediocrity, a $146 million roster seems to be going nowhere fast.
Is the leader at fault? Have the players tuned him out?
The Cubs just finished a stretch of 29 games against teams with losing records last year. Their record was a miserable 13-16, including a six game road trip with Pittsburgh and Cincinnati they just concluded where they were 1-5.
They were swept by Pittsburgh. Let me repeat that because I still can't believe it. They were swept by Pittsburgh.
Piniella seems ...
There's a saying that goes you should "strike while the iron is hot." Well right now, Alfonso Soriano is incendiary, and I say this is the best time to explore trade options for the Cubs mercurial left fielder.
In his last three games, Soriano has slammed four homers and driven in 10 runs.
On the season, he's batting .325 with 6 HR, 17 RBI, and (for you stats geeks out there) an incredible .1057 OPS.
Both the Boston Red Sox and the Atlanta Braves are struggling right now and could use a big bat in the lineup. Both teams also have money to spend, especially the ...
"What kind of baseball do you play?" That question was addressed to George Castle by Cub manager Lou Piniella yesterday when Castle questioned his strategy in the eighth inning of a Cubs loss to the Washington Nationals.
The question asked was why with a man on second and nobody out and Mike Fontenot at the plate and the Cubs trailing by a run that Piniella didn't have him bunt him over to third.
Castle has been a long-time media member following the Cubs. He's a guy with the reputation of asking the tough questions and in this case, may I say, the smart question.
Piniella ...
Sunday, Monday, happy days; Tuesday, Wednesday, happy days; Thursday, Friday, happy days; everyday is a happy day when you're Alfonso Soriano and you're stealing money like he is!
His nickname is "Fonzie" from the show Happy Days, because he always has a huge smile plastered on his face. Wouldn't you if you had a $136 million contract?
But unlike Fonzie, who was a tough guy, the guy who plays for the Cubs is a coward.
After dropping a fly to left on Sunday, he told the press, "I saw it all the way, but at the last moment, I took my eye off ...
I think I wrote this story several years ago. Why is it with the Cubs that every year seems like the movie Groundhog Day, where the same scenario keeps repeating itself year in and year out?
Of course, their favorite saying is, "Wait until next year."
But what if this really is next year?
They have to win the World Series sometime. What if in 2010, that time has come?
I'm not going to compare them to their division rivals or the other National League teams they have to beat out to make it to the World Series.
I'm not going to mention the opponent ...
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