Hire Jim Essian

Marlins manager Freddi Gonzalez announced this week that he would be keeping Hanley Ramirez, the best shortstop in baseball, at the leadoff spot for the upcoming season. Cubs manager Lou Piniella made the same announcement regarding Alfonso Soriano. Both hitters are clearly run-producers, thought they are both speedy. So, who deserves to be moved down more? ... Read More

So, I hear that a lot of "clever" White Sox fans have been coming up with proposed new names for Wrigley Field. A few of the best were "Summer's Eve Field," (Because if Cubs fans think they're ever going to win the World Series, they're a bunch of douches!) "The Man Hole," (Because Wrigley Field is the world's biggest ... Read More

What's worse? Cynicism or stupidity? Maybe I'm jaded (but at my age, I really have no right to be). Maybe I'm cranky. Maybe I'm bitter. But at least I'm not stupid. The majority of the "Cubs fans" weighing in on the FRONT-PAGE STORY of the Sun-Times this morning, on the other hand, are. ... Read More

Sorry I haven't made more of a big deal about the Cactus League opener against the Giants, which is today at 2:05 CT. The thing is, it's the Cactus League opener, and Ryan Dempster is starting. Baseball is back, though, as is the Cubs' campaign to finish at the top of what will most likely be the worst ... Read More

It looks like Cardinal utilityman Scott Spiezio is going to pay the consequences for his booze-fueled joyride last December. Irvine, California police have issued a warrant for Spiezio's arrest on six charges from the crash that ended Spiezio's night. The charges were: Driving with Jim Edmonds' scrotum obstructing his view Improper use of soul patch Failure to come to a complete ... Read More

Over on Desipio, CT (or CT II, as he is known over there) wrote the following post, entitled, "MacPhail's final gift to Hendry." No, it's not Brian Roberts (at least not yet). No, it's not a sweatervest and argyle socks. Dolan mentioned in today's Dose (or whatever the hell he's calling them) that Lou Piniella was stumping for an extension for Hendry. ... Read More

On Monday, we had a little fun with with Dustyology. Let's hope we're still laughing in August. Anyway, my inspiration for writing that entry was based on the idea that Dusty is possibly angling for a Drano endorsement(because he really does use the terms "clogging the bases" like it's a trademark). Sadly, I have no visual editing skills whatsoever to bring ... Read More

I don't even need to read the Mail Bag any more to know that there are unplumbed levels of hilarity in each and every question and answer. As soon as a Mail Bag pops up, I know it is going to be pure gold. The latest Mail Bag is no different. This time, the questions are the ... Read More

Sometimes, I worry that there may be one person who relies on this blog as the sole source of his Cubs information. That makes me feel terrible for that person, but also obligated to post any big Cubs news. The biggest Cubs news over the weekend was that Mark DeRosa's heart finally exploded with the grief of knowing ... Read More

It's a little bit down the list in these Notes , so I'll just reprint it here. I have to. It's so freaking hilarious that it'd be a sin not to. Not down with OBP: Baker has repeatedly talked about the desire to have a do-it-all leadoff hitter with speed. What kinds of hitters is he looking for further down the ... Read More