I sort of feel bad putting Glendon Rusch on the B126. Poor guy. He always did what he was told, he has no chin, and he’s a whale. Seriously, though. It’s Glendon Rusch.
The Cubs’ 2004 solution to their 2003 bullpen pitching woes was to sign Glendon Rusch who, the year before, had gone 1-12 with the Milwaukee Brewers. “Wins are a meaningless way to measure the talent of a pitcher,” you complain. Fine.
The Cubs’ 2004 solution to their 2003 bullpen pitching woes was to sign Glendon Rusch who, the year before, had compiled a 6.42 ERA with the Milwaukee Brewers. “ERA is an outdated statistic that is not very indicative of the actual success of a pitcher,” you whine. Sigh.
The Cubs’ 2004 solution to their 2003 bullpen pitching woes was to sign Glendon Rusch who, the year before, had compiled a 1.751 WHIP with the Milwaukee Brewers. Happy, asshole?
The signing was a good one during the 2004 season. Rusch filled the role of “swing man” in the bullpen, pitching effectively for the Cubs as both a starter and a reliever. Rusch finished the year with a 6-2 record, a 3.47 ERA, a 1.234 WHIP (that’s the same WHIP I have on my luggage), and even a pair of saves.
And then, the Cubs got greedy.
You see, every number that Rusch put up in 2004 was a career best for him. He caught lightning in a bottle his distended navel. So, what do the Cubs do? Bring him back for the 2005 season, during which all of Rusch’s numbers dive like Glendon himself into a plate of cheese fries.
Hang on. It gets better. After Jim Hendry has all the evidence he needs right in front of him that 2004 was most likely an anomaly for Rusch, Hendry decides to overpay him for two more years, offering him $6M (plus a possible $1M in incentives) for the 2006 and 2007 seasons.
Rusch’s 2006 season was a complete disaster. He appeared in 25 games, compiling a 7.46 ERA to go with his 1.794 WHIP before being shut down for the season with a blood clot in his lung.
I sincerely hope that Rusch makes a full recovery from both the blood clot and the trauma of being involved with the 2006 Cubs. I wish him all the best, since he seems like a good human being, but I cannot in good conscience avoid putting him on the B126.
Low Point: April 29, 2006. This was likely the game that caused the blood in Rusch’s lung to clot in an effort to protect him by preventing him from ever taking the mound again. Rusch started this game in Wrigley Field against the Milwaukee Brewers with a bang, giving up a leadoff home run to Rickey Weeks followed later in the 1st inning by a two-run homer by Prince Fielder. In the top of the 3rd inning, Rusch would give up another homer to Fielder followed immediately with one served up to Bill Hall. After walking the next two batters, Rusch’s day was done. David Aardsma was nice enough to allow the guys Rusch had walked to score. Rusch’s line? 2.2 IP, 7 ER, 3 BB, 0 SO, 4 HR. He also threw 81 pitches in less than three innings of work. Yeesh.
Did You Know? Rusch was on the mound both times the light-hitting Bronson Arroyo homered off the Cubs last year. The homers were two of only 9 hits that Arroyo had last year, and were the only home runs of his career. Did I mention that Arroyo hadn’t even had a hit since 2001 until connecting for the 2 bombs off Rusch in a period of only 6 days? I didn’t? Well, that’s true, too. Oh, by the way. Arroyo is a career .099 hitter.
i feel bad for the fella but Hendry followed the great Cub gm tradition of bringing back lightning in a bottle, not for just one year too many, but signed for 3 bad years. Thankfully we won’t have to grimace again this year when he trots in from the bullpen
Funny that you mention Grimace, what with Rusch’s love of Big Macs.
Yeah, what is it about the cubs that then can never leave well enough alone? Gaetti, Neifi!, Rusch…how are they the only people that didn’t know those guys wouldn’t sustain their success? Wait…oh, yeah. Because it’s the cubs.
It’s not just that the Cubs sign their own bad players who manage to put up a mediocre season to long term deals, it’s that they also sign other teams crappy players.
JD brings the negative.
I was at Glendon’s low point game. It was HORRID.
Also, for good measure, some friend’s of mine were at Sopo Lounge after a game and Gabor, Goodwin and Glendon rolled in. Bako was nice enough to say hello but Glendon gave them a dirty look. So, that’s something.
I can honestly say I would rather not hang out with three MLB players than hang out in that group.
That’s part of the awesomeness. Those three had like some kind of sucky connection. The rest of the roster isolated them into some kind of Anti-Super Friends Group of terrible ball players who are just good enough to be major leaguers.
I too was at the low point game. We were on the red line there and it was taking forever and I pretty much was peeing my pants b/c I drank about 15 beers before I got on the train. Well we get off the train and it’s about 2 minutes to game time. So we ran into the nearest bar just to use the bathroom, hoping for no line and then to run into the stadium for the first pitch. Well we made it to the bathroom, but the game started. We heard a huge cheer and assumed it was for the guys running onto the field. Nope, Glendon giving up the bomb. Then before we even found our seats, they hit another one. That son of a bitch. We left after the 5th or 6th inning b/c the weather was shitty, and they were losing by 13. I got drunk and blacked out at Sluggers.
Ha ha! You went to Sluggers. How were your $6 cans of beer?
Sluggers is the cleanest bar in America.
Hey I want to Sluggers on Monday before the game.
Of course I went directly upstairs for the batting cages. After downing those sweet rolls at Ann Sathers, I need to burn some of it off. Plus, our first softball game’s next Tuesday and I hadn’t swung a bat since last July.
I actually hadn’t been there in at least 5 years, but it looked little nicer upstairs than I remember.
Anyway, for Big Drinky, I now go off the beaten path to Wrigleyville North, at the corner of Sheffield/Sheridan and Byron (3900), a block south of Irving Park Road. We stopped in there before the game for $7 pitchers ($1.50 drafts). I never offered up this place to anybody before cuz I didn’t want people ruining my secret bar but, after the game, it was as crowded as I’ve ever seen it, so I guess the secret is out. Oh well.
Now that you posted it here, Mike, expect to see all 12 people who read HJE there next game.
Glendon and cub GMs have the ability to bring out my negative. It’s enough to make a guy wanna be Dave Kingman’s man lover.
I know that bar. It doesn’t have a name. And it looks like a total shithole. Those make it Slaky approved.
Is it the place with the blue doors on the front? That place is a hole.
And $6 beers at Sluggers were great. I think that was the game I traded the guy “bartending” at the tub my Frank the Tank hat for like 10 beers for me and my friends.
I also danced to music from 1998. I don’t know if I ever looked whiter
Blue doors? Maybe.
Definitely a hole. That’s why I like it. I can actually belly up to the bar, drink beer that’s not ridiculously overpriced, bum a cigarette off of someone and relax. The days of standing elbow-to-elbow in a crowded room while nursing said $6 beer are behind me. Of course, I’m 35, married, and have a child, so I’m not exactly the target audience anymore, but whatever.
And besides, WN is becoming less of a hole. I started spotting more talent there last year and, like I said, the place was packed after the Opner (but not before), a fact that was actually a bit disappointing for me.
I was at one of Glendon’s final appearances as a Cub – the July 31, 2006 game against Arizona where he gave up 4 runs in 2 innings. Don’t you love when you’re arguing with someone at a baseball game, and something happens right as you’re talking that proves you right? Well, I suggested after Glendon gave up a 6th-inning homer to Eric Byrnes that if I could throw 85-87 mph (I’m a lefty), I could be just as good a pitcher as Glendon was.
Some idiot had the audacity to argue with me.
In the top of the 7th, Glendon gave up back to back homers to Orlando Hudson (his 2nd of the game – only the Cubs) and Stephen Drew.
I turned around and hissed “I can give up three homers every two innings just as well as this guy can”.
He shut up.
I think you guys should lay off of Glendon. How many other players have made the bigs while living with Down’s Syndrome? He’s a hero to the afflicted of our great nation. Plus, when he asks “have you seen my baseball?”, you can tell him “yes, it just landed on Waveland…but you’re still special and super-terrific! Let’s go for ice cream!” Just don’t touch his ears.
i’m offended “buddha”!
And im one of twelve that read HJE but sadly i can’t check out Mike’s bar :(
bocaj, I’ll buy you a beer at Mike’s bar when you turn 21. That’s like what, 10 years from now?
He’s our very own Sparkle.
actually three, but why wait CT???
Next thing you know, he’ll be singing the “Do you want fries with that?” song when he trots out to some beer-league mound in Waukesha thinking it’s his intro music at Wrigley. Jovial.