Has any player ever gotten more mileage out of a single catch than Sam Fuld has? I’ve heard Cubs fans speak less respectfully of Wilie Mays’ catch. Sam Fuld strives to be David Eckstein, only in a less-useful position. However, since Jim Hendry decided to spend $34M on an outfield of platoon players, each week we have to listen to Cubs fans worry about whether or not Sam Fuld will make the Chicago Cubs. AND YET YOU KEEP FOLLOWING THEM. Who is the real villain?
I’ve been wondering if there was some reason Blanco has been left out of the roster discussion. It seems no one considers him a candidate for much of anything…
BLANCO-SCALES 2012!
…but I was very impressed with what I saw of him last year.
What that was, is hard to define.
He made some incredible plays. I know his hitting left something to be desired…
Contact, patience, power…
…but isn’t that something that a lot of guys struggle with when they only get into 53 games? Can you help me understand why he’s not getting any credit or consideration?
– Jonathan T., St. Charles, Ill.
Sure. Just as soon as I’m done explaining molecular physics to this turtle.
CARRIE: The decision comes down to whether the bench is made up of offensive or defensive players. In a perfect world, you have both.
In the Cubs’ world, you get power with no contact, on base percentage with no power, speed with no baserunning ability, range with no throwing arm, and a second baseman with no pigment.
CARRIE: Blanco has shown he can play solid defense at second and short. If Mike Fontenot can play second and short…
SPOILERS: He can’t.
CARRIE: …then the Cubs may opt to keep another hitter on the bench, which could include someone like Kevin Millar.
Millar? I thought you said “hitter.” I guess you forgot the “s.”
CARRIE: One thing to consider regarding Blanco is that he’s one of six players out of options. That list includes Jeff Baker, Angel Guzman, Tom Gorzelanny, Koyie Hill and Geovany Soto.
“Out of options” sounds so intense. It would make for a great bait-and-switch on a movie. The trailer would go, “In a world where six men are out of options, and one man controls their destinies, only their heart and grit can save them.” And then it ends up being some boring-ass movie about arbitration.
At the moment, Fuld and Colvin are both on the 40-man roster. Do you expect them to open the season at Triple-A Iowa, or would the Cubs opt to take a backup center fielder with them?
– Sam B., Minneapolis
GOD DAMMIT! Couldn’t this question have been melded with the other Sam Fuld question? WHY IS THERE AN “OTHER” SAM FULD QUESTION???
CARRIE: I can see Fuld making the Cubs’ Opening Day roster over Colvin as a bench player.
Yeah, but you could also see how the Church Lady could be considered sexy.
CARRIE: They want Colvin to play every day, and unless there’s more regular work available in the big leagues, he’d be better served getting more experience in Iowa. Fuld has shown he can handle the part-time workload, can play all three positions, and can be used as a defensive sub or pinch-runner.
Plus, they don’t need to pay for a room for him on road trips, since he can just sleep on the top shelf of Alfonso Soriano’s locker.
CARRIE: However, Colvin did show up 25 pounds heavier — and it’s all good weight that he added.
Dong weight.
CARRIE: He’ll get plenty of at-bats.
They’re screwed.
I listen to your reports from Spring Training and you sound way too optimistic.
Hello. What is this? Is there actually a reasonable, rational, baseball-educated Cubs.com reader and Muskbox contributor?
We’re missing Ted Lilly for a month…
Go on…
…Big Z had nine wins last year…
Never mind.
…Mike Fontenot hit .236, Alfonso Soriano hit .241 with 55 RBIs, Soto was awful, Kosuke Fukudome in his two years has not proven anything hitting-wise, Carlos Silva had five wins and an inflated ERA with Seattle, and our biggest acquisition was Marlon Byrd. How in the world can you be optimistic?
– Evan A., St. Louis
You know? I’m going to give partial credit. This is arguably the best question ever asked in the Muskbox. HOW SAD DOES THAT MAKE YOU?
CARRIE: Zambrano, Fontenot, Soriano, Soto, Fukudome and Silva were all embarrassed by how they performed last year and all are motivated.
The Cubs are going to lead the league in motivation, feel-goodedness, and cowboy upping!
CARRIE: No offense to Byrd, but I think the biggest acquisition was hitting coach Rudy Jaramillo.
No offense to you, but that’s completely retarded. I don’t care how good a hitting coach Jaramillo is. The Cubs replaced their starting center fielder (again). Whether he’s good or bad, it was definitely a more significant move than the hitting coach.
CARRIE: Are there holes? Yes.
Most of them in Jaramillo’s face.
CARRIE: The bullpen has to be sorted out. But the candidates for the bench are more experienced, guys are healthy and the attitude is good. It’s March 1. Why not be optimistic?
Because the rotation is worse, right field is probably worse, arguably your best starter and reliever are both hurt, your manager is sliding ever closer toward full-on dementia, and your catcher is no longer fat. How are you supposed to win with a catcher who isn’t fat?
This is projected to be Lou Piniella’s last season as a manager. In the three years he’s been here, the Cubs have had three winning seasons. With the possibility of another winning season this year, when was the last time, if ever, a Cubs manager had a winning season every year during his tenure?
– Dan M., Elmhurst, Ill.
Jim Essian- Oh, no. Dammit.
CARRIE: Here’s the list: Tommy Burns (1898-99), Frank Chance (1905-12), Hank O’Day (1914), Joe McCarthy (1926-30), and Rogers Hornsby (1930-1932). Piniella also could be the fifth Cubs manager to post above-.500 records in at least his first four seasons as Cubs manager, joining Cap Anson (1879-1891); Chance (1905-1912), Charlie Grimm (1932-1938, 1944-46), and McCarthy (1926-30).
And look what happened to all of those guys? DEAD.
With the Cubs still looking for that veteran arm in the bullpen, do you think they’d consider Kiko Calero?
– Eric S., Farmington, Minn.
They need to lead the league in guys who sound like they’re named after monkeys! Congratulations, Starlin! You made the team!
CARRIE: Calero tore his right rotator cuff in 2008 and missed some time last year because of shoulder problems. The medical issues make him a high risk and the Cubs have decided to look elsewhere.
Whoa, whoa, whoa. High risk, mediocre reward is JUST the kind of player Hendry normally signs to a three-year deal. Also, yes, Calero missed SOME time last year, but he threw 60 innings. Angel Guzman threw 61. If they stack up enough dudes with shoulder problems, certainly they’ll get through the season with one or two left! And that one will be David Patton. And we’ll all have drunk bleach by then.
Hey, I dug deep and found a question that was the last to be cut before the Muskbox was posted…
I play cars with Ryan Theriot every Tuesday and he was telling me there is talk Mikey (Fontenot) won't be the opening day starter?! HOW CAN THIS BE? He's awesome! There is nobody and I mean NOBODY that does a better horsey than him. He sounds just like it and even does the trot perfect. Is there something we can do to keep that doo-doo head Jim (Hendry) from making Mikey cry? He will too, he doesn't like to sit on the bench and I'm afraid he won't want to do the horesy anymore if he doesn't get to play. Please help!Billy, Oak Brook, IL
Bow down to the almighty Jaramillo!!!!
i gotta disagree with you, that blanco question was alright. granted, i place far too much of a value on defense, but why not throw theriot at second and blanco at short? then we’ve got a good defensive infield which, while not great, is still a heck of a lot better than playing fontenot anywhere. yes, we don’t want to just have a no-show at-bat from blanco, but i think he could be alright.
and better than a 38 year old kevin millar
I’m going to spell out “More talent = More wins” in Krispy Kreme’s for Hendry. I think that might get through to him.
How DARE Carrie not give Ed Hartig credit for that manager answer? He has so little…don’t deny him that!
The Cubs are going to lead the league in motivation, feel-goodedness, and cowboy upping!
Woah, hang on. I don’t recall anybody saying they were going to do anything as dramatic as cowboy upping. Sure, they’re motivated. But “being motivated” is at least three Ecksteins below “cowboy upping” on the “Sportswriter Cliche-o-meter.” They haven’t even “determined to get back to basics” or “learned to play small ball” yet, and don’t even think about saying they’ve “manned up.”
anyone who uses the phrase cowboy up and isn’t mocking it should be punched in the face
Who would have ever guessed that 140 Million dollars of payroll could lead to so little hope? Peter Principle and Delbert are both amazed that Jim Hendry is employed as a GM right now. I wouldn’t let him manage a Taco Bell if it were my call.
But Hendry is an expert in Chalupametrics.