It broke Soriano’s bat to see Kevin Hart go.
For brazen fame-seekers like me, Kevin Hart’s Friday was the stuff dreams are made of. Not only did he pitch reasonably well, but on the day he started the game, the Cubs traded him. You know what that means? Significantly more people will be talking about him today than they would’ve had he not been traded. No publicity is bad publicity… maybe he’ll get noticed by a big Hollywood agent and start getting in the movies!
But his waking up this morning probably involved more weeping than excitement, as he realized that he has to go to Pittsburgh, where they’ve not had a winning season since 1992. At least he has old chum Ronny Cedeno to keep him company.
Kevin did get to comment on the trade after the game, and quite possibly revealed the Cubs’ motivation for wanting to get rid of him:
“When you get nine runs, it helps when you give up a couple of homers,”
Hart said. “Then I settled down and started throwing strikes.”
Now in the annals of dumb pitcher quotes, I think this one has to rank right up there with Dempster’s treatise on being able to give up lots of runs as a starter (or some such). In case you weren’t paying attention when you read the part that is set off and in italics, Kevin Hart said, “When you get nine runs, it helps when you give up a couple homers.”
Indeed, Kevin, indeed. Oh, and the offense looked pretty damn good again yesterday:
The Cubs, now a half-game up on the Cardinals in the NL Central, pounded out 13 hits, including back-to-back home runs from Jake Fox and Milton Bradley that gave the team 15 on the homestand. The Nos. 1 and 2 hitters, Kosuke Fukudome and Ryan Theriot, had four RBIs apiece.
With Reed Johnson injured, Fukudome could even find himself batting leadoff against left-handed pitchers.
“We could, but the only thing is he needs to get his rest,” manager Lou Piniella
said. “He really has been on his game, making nice contact … and
getting on base, which is what a leadoff hitter is supposed to do.”For the homestand against Cincinnati and Houston, the Cubs lineup batted .310 and averaged 7.6 runs.
Whoever updates the Cubs’ 25-man roster page at Cubs.com must feel pretty secure in his/her job this year. With yesterday’s trade, another Iowa/Chicago/Iowa switcheroo is taking place:
The Cubs also optioned pitcher Mitch Atkins to Iowa. Sam Fuld
arrived in Chicago in time to jump on the charter for Florida. The Cubs
will activate him before tomorrow night’s game against the Marlins.Apparently, there is no inclination to move Marshall to the
rotation, but the Cubs will need a starter next Tuesday in Cincinnati.
It could be Gorzelanny.
And Jeff Stevens got the gone today, here tomorrow treatment:
Because of Johnson’s injury, Jeff Stevens did
not have to wait 10 days in the minors before being recalled. He was
brought back Friday, two days after being sent to Triple A for a fresh
arm in Atkins.“You have to learn to roll with it, kind of
expect the unexpected,” said Stevens, who never left Chicago. A player
must spend 10 days in the minors before being recalled, unless there is
an injury.
Could Geo be back next week? And could REEDZ! be out for a shorter amount of time than initially thought?
Geovany Soto, who has been on the disabled list since July 7
because of a left oblique strain, will begin a minor-league
rehabilitation assignment this weekend and could return to the Cubs by
Wednesday, general manager Jim Hendry said.”Optimistically, we hope he’s back in the lineup no later than
Colorado,” Hendry said of a series that opens against the Rockies next
Friday in Denver. ”Maybe a chance a little before that.”…
Outfielder Reed Johnson was put on the disabled list before
the game because of a non-displaced fracture in his left foot. Though
initial projections had Johnson missing a month after he fouled a ball
off his foot Wednesday, Hendry said that projection was adjusted.”I talked to the doctors today, and I don’t think anybody thinks
it’s going to be 30 days now,” Hendry said. ”Maybe 15, we’re hoping
for.”
Bronson Arroyo is a cheater.
On the juice!
OMG you guys, I mean, wow. How can we ever look at this game the same way again? What does this do to the Red Sox world series titles? BASEBALL IS OVER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
talk about covering your ass, “uJust in case you’re looking, I didn’t do anything illegal on purpose, someone put something bad in my stuff”
maybe its true, but he’s really smart to come out before his name gets leaked
yeah, but Arroyo was taking PEDs for his guitar playing, not his pitching
I’m trying to remember to stay pessimistic about this team. I think that’s what led to the winning streak.
Spellcheck and Heilman and both in the bullpen
who is happier about Soto’s hopeful return on Wednesday, Matt or Koyie Hill?
Well…in defense of the Red Sox…
Poo-holes is probably on that list too to even things out for the 2004 title…and it is obvious to me that the Rockies were all on PEDs in 2007…so the truth is, it doesn’t matter.
are you fucking serious?
Probably me. Koyie won’t be happy to be catching only on Thursdays again. Three hits in his last eight ABs though, maybe he’s heading for a hot streak!
nope…that was the hot streak…expect him to go 1 for his next 40. But that is ok, because the Cubs win when he catches.
Very strange picture
Of new Cub Gorzelanny
Now at cubs.com
That is redundant
All pics of Gorzelanny
Are odd at the least
the bats might be coming around, but you can always worry about the bullpen blowing it
this is a long stretch to be catching every day
Morning-
That’s great faux hysteria-except-in the scheme of things-the fact that HIPA has been violated up one side and down the other is much more serious. Here we have so-called private medical records from 6 and 7 years ago, and some low-life snake or snakes opened up a can of worms for who-knows-what purpose!
Where the “outcry” about that? If athletes and celebrities are fair game to have their privacy stripped-who’s next?
Sigh-end of rant-who’s pitching for the Cubs today/tonight?
Cubs have 4 off days the rest of the way? Stretches of 17 gms, 16 gms and 17 gms, so hopefully Soto comes back and stays healthy.
on the old version of the site Julie and I had a huge discussion about this, I was adamant about how this list never should have existed (still believe this) and how can someone from the lawyers office leak this and it not be considered unethical
basically while I can’t believe the union let the players names be attached to the “anonymous” sample she pointed out that it doesn’t fall into protected information once its at the lawyers office (julie, did I get that right)
we never really agreed on it, and I still think its wrong to release the names, especially one by one, but evidently its not unethical
Well…the trade deadline has passed…and it appears that the Cubs made no more deals.
Oh well. I was hoping for more action today by either Chicago team, but I suppose that no deals were really expected.
Halladay also not traded, though not a big surprise. V-Martinez to Boston. Washburn to Det. No moves by the Cardinals or Astros. Reds get Rolen pending his OK of the deal.
Holy poop!
MLBTR reports Jake Peavy was traded to the Sox…again…and this time he waved the no trade clause…
I’m not sure if he’ll be much this season, but it is a great move for the future.
Damn Sox.
Well god dammit.
well said.
White Sox get Peavy
May not pitch ’til September
Planning for next year?
http://www.chicagonow.com/blogs/soxnet/2009/07/sox-get-peavy.html
I hope whoever released the names from that list ends up getting exposed. And then gets prosecuted and hopefully goes to prison. And then has all sorts of bad things happen to him/her in said prison.
Seriously, I can’t believe the extent of people’s hysteria over stupid shit like who used PEDs. Whoever leaked those names has committed a much more serious legal and ethical breach.
And besides that, did the 2004 and 2007 Red Sox suddenly not win those World Series? Does all this hand-wringing change those results at all? Oh, that’s right. That notion is utterly ridiculous.
Anyone who thinks this game has ever been pure is fucking delusional. This is a game that has institutionally excluded blacks and hispanics for an extended period of time. Numerous pitchers have used pinetar, vaseline, emery boards, spit, and various other means of doctoring baseballs. Owners have colluded to keep salaries down and prevent certain players from getting contracts. Until the Reserve Clause was lifted, players were basically indentured servants. Oh, and Bud Selig decided that an exhibition game should determine World Series home field advantage.
This game has never been clean. There’s no reason the Hall of Fame or anything else should try to reflect some pastoral notion of purity that was never in the game to begin with.