I spent a fair amount of time today looking for our old Ronny Cedeno photos. Alas, I think they’re on my old computer. This is a huge shame for our new readers, as you haven’t seen anything until you’ve seen Ronny Cedeno beaming at you from a Chicago Cubs uniform in front of a waving Old Glory. Sadly for all of us, you’ll have to settle for the photo below, though it’s not without its charm.
The reason I bring all of us this up, of course, is because Ronny Cedeno, he who once was caught stealing on a walk and once tossed a live ball to a ump because it was wet, has been signed by the St. Louis Cardinals:
ST. LOUIS — Infielder Ronny Cedeno has agreed to a $1.15 million, one-year contract with the St. Louis Cardinals, giving them insurance in case shortstop Rafael Furcal has problems returning from an elbow injury that sidelined him late last season.
Cedeno can earn an additional $850,000 in performance bonuses under Monday’s deal: $170,000 each for 200, 250, 300, 250 and 400 plate appearances.
I’m not sure exactly what kind of insurance the Cards are looking for, thought I suppose it could be insurance that they’ll be entertained or insurance of a few laughs. Either way, it’s been a long, hard off-season for us Cubs fans, and this is the first time I’ve really smiled in a while.
Enjoy him, Cardinals fans. For the love of God, enjoy him.
Hey, remember that big media presentation the Chicago Cubs did at Cubs Con about their renovation plans? The one where everything was unveiled to the fans and the media in order to drum up public support for the renovation? And then Mayor Emanuel got all mad and told them to stop negotiating through the media? Turns out they aren’t huge fans of OTHER people negotiating through the media:
The rooftop owners on Friday made a public plea to the Cubs to not destroy their money-making bird’s-eye views of the Wrigley by putting up billboards along the back of the bleachers. At a news conference, they offered to let the Cubs place signs on their buildings and the owners would forgo all revenue the signs would generate.
The team did not greet the plan warmly on Friday, urging the rooftop owners to stop negotiating through the media.
(Giggle). I like to think that “Stop negotiating through the media!” is a concept that Todd Ricketts just learned, and that he yells it at the rooftop owners at random intervals, when he doesn’t know what else to say.
Finally, we’ve got a new balk rule this season. No, I don’t know why:
Major League Baseball is imposing a rule that pitchers who fake a throw to third base and then throw to another base will be charged with a balk, according to the New York Times.
The rule change takes effect this season.
Pitchers have been doing it for many years in an attempt to throw off base runners, but it rarely works. Now, pitchers can no longer do it without being called for a balk.
“It’s funny,” umpire Ted Barrett said. “When they presented it to us at our meetings, nobody even said, ‘Why?’ “
Why indeed. So when you don’t have to watch some boring pitcher spend 15 minutes doing his “fake t0 3rd, through to 1st” move that never works, you have MLB to thank.
I like that the stupid fake to third is now a balk. Now if only the league would cap the number of throws the pitcher makes to first between pitches to the batter, the game would really improve. Every time the other team’s pitcher makes 6 or 7 throws to first, the home crowd always boos, even though their pitcher will do the same….
I’ve thought pretty long and hard about how to set up a rules change to limit pickoff moves. In order to really effectively do it within the framework of baseball right now, it would probably have to be tied in to the time limit a pitcher has to deliver a ball to home plate. Doing this would probably result in a “shot clock” sort of scheme would be pretty silly. Setting a fixed number of pickoff move would be problematic since, if a pitcher has used up all their moves, the runner could simply take off on first movement by the pitcher making it virtually impossible for the runner to be caught.
In the end, I just don’t see any good way of limiting pickoff moves.
Didn’t that actually work on one of our runners this season or last season? I believe there was an errant throw to 2nd and they weren’t caught out, but the fake thing did work. I remember being so entertained that the one time in the entire history of baseball that it actually did work, it was one of OUR players.
It usually works about 3 or 4 times every year in baseball…believe it or not, it is, percentage wise, a pretty effective move considering it is only used occasionally.
But I agree it should be removed from that game. I’m in favor of this being a balk.
This rule will not speed up the game.
The pitcher now will throw to 3rd and the 3rd baseman will throw it to 1st.
It will be as a set play. Probably practiced.
And what if the runner on 3rd has a good leadoff as a distraction factor.Will it still be called a balk
It sounds like the Cubs and the rooftop owners have had a face to face meeting about advertising in the outfield…and supposedly it was a productive meeeting. The two sides plan to meet again later this week.
Is that mustache real?
Pretty sure it’s real.
It’s real alright…as in real fake.
Cubs have hired Tom Tango is a consultant. I like Tom, he’s always been good to me and the other baseball girls at Aerys. Congrats to him.
Tom Tango is one of the more respected stats geeks in the blogosphere…he’s created a few of the “new” stats that many places like OV use quite a bit. I’m loving that the Cubs are bringing guys on like this.
I really need to polish up on my math and database work and try to get a job with them.
I know who he is.
He might have meant that for the rest of us. Like me. Since I was going to respond to your comment with, “Who?”
oh.
Seriously, do I need to start each of my comments now with “For everyone here except Julie…”?
Too freakin’ funny!
“I know you already know this Julie but I want to mention…”
I like it. I think we should start every comment on here that way.
Ah, another A-Rod controversy. Just what this offseason needed.
“best interest of baseball” really flows off the tongue easily right about now. Selig has let this mess go on long enough. I doubt too many people are going to shed too many tears for all the douchenozzles involved in this narrative.
I know he has about a bajillion dollars left on his contract, but I’m really starting to wonder if he’s played his last game. I sounds like a distinct possibility that he’ll miss this entire season.
There’s really only one place you could hide A-Rod to get him his ABs that he wants over the next 3 years- DH in Houston or KC.
Even at league minimum, I’m not sure the anyone would want A-Rod around, teaching their kids how to juice.
I’m waiting for Dave Sappelt to comment on the fact that the U.S. will be executing a woman today for the first time in two years.
Who?
For everyone here except Julie:
Dave Sappelt is a shitty outfielder for the Cubs who Julie claims is a sexist pig.
Oh, yeah, I blocked him from my memory.
It sounds like Gio Gonzalez is pretty annoyed that he was linked to that PED investigation.
Apparently his father went to that doctor to lose weight and some reporter got ahead of himself reporting Gio as involved. Or not. Who knows/cares.
The Cubs ticket office just informed me that I should expect to have my name up for Cubs season tickets either next year or the year after.
I guess I had better start saving money.
I’m assuming Julie will be up for tickets around the same time too.
I’ve got an inquiry for all you folks that may be in the know. How hard is it to get a job at Wrigley for the season. I am taking 6 months off from my job this year and was thinking about trying to work at a ball park somewhere. Wrigley would be my first choice, so I was wondering how hard it may be. Anyone ever tried? Is everything in house or contracted out? I am not qualified for much of anything. Just wondering.
That’s a damn good question. The only person that I had known before getting a job at Wrigley got in via inside contacts (she was the daughter of the supplier for italian beef at Wrigley)…
I thought the beer vendors were unionized…and part of a bigger organization that handles events all over town including Comiskey, Soldier Field and the United Center…not sure about the other vendors.
Personally, I think you should apply for one of the security people that stand on the field between each inning and retrieve foul balls down the baselines.
Julie should have some inside contacts. She knows everyone. She even knows Tom Tango, supposedly.
Thanks. I’ll wait for a response from Julie as well. I did just find a site listing jobs for all mlb teams. The Cubs had a few listings. Security, parking, assistant head groundskeeper…. a couple more. And the Diamondbacks are hiring a lifeguard at 9 bucks an hour.
Oooh! Exciting!
I really have no idea, but I’ll be excited for you!
Thanks………………………..for nothing!
Just kidding. I’ll keep looking around. I’m sure there’s a position out there for a small time indie musician on hiatus out there somewhere!
Then you could write a book, “My Cubbie Summer”, or something…
My next book is gonna be about a bus that has to speed around a city keeping it’s speed above 50 and if it’s speed drops, it explodes. It’s gonna be called… The Bus That Couldn’t Slow Down.
In this afternoon chat at ESPN Chicago, Bruce Levine says that Marmol will be gone by spring training and that the Cubs’ rebuilding plan is 5-8 years, not 2-4.
I’m assuming you mean rebuilding as in the roster and not the stadium.
Or both.
Maybe he means that the players that don’t make the baseball team will be allowed to work on the construction crew for the stadium…
I don’t want Tony Campana rebuilding Wrigley Field.