I’ve been out of the loop for almost a week, so I’m trying to catch up on what’s happened this week in the realm of the Cubs. Then I volunteer to take the headlines thread the day after an off-day and find next-to-nothing to post. It feels like a day in the offseason, but I’ll try to make it as interesting as possible.
First things first, we appear to be on the cusp of Rizzomania. Or is it Rizzomas? Everyone’s expecting Rizzo to be called up this weekend when his service time is no longer an issue. According to Gordon Wittenmyer, even the current Cubs are all atwitter about the coming of the chosen one.
Soon-to-be Cubs teammates have been texting Rizzo in Iowa on the imminence of his promotion, especially after officials acknowledged the Bryan LaHair switch to right field this week was a prelude to the first baseman’s arrival.
But the level-headed Rizzo supposedly wasn’t biting on the anticipation. Look for the Cubs, in trying to keep the disgruntled paying fan base in their seats this summer, to incite the crowds with some Rizzomania when they return home for series against the New York Mets and Astros.
Do you think they’re texting things like: “Will you sit next to me on the plane?” “Can I oil your glove for you when you come up?” “What kind of candy do you like?” Any other suggestions, folks?
While we await the coming of the Rizz, Ian Stewart is waiting to come back from the DL.
“My options now are just to see if this cortisone works and give it four, five days when I’m on the [disabled list] to really let it sink in and work and then slowly get a program going off the tee,” Stewart said Wednesday. “If the shot works, then it’ll carry me through the season and maybe get another one in another six weeks or so. If it doesn’t, then we may have to go the other route. We’re just going to see how it feels.”
If this one doesn’t work, they may have to start thinking about surgery for Stewart. But when there’s someone with a name like Valbuena filling in, you don’t need Stewart to rush back. While the Cubs are on pace for a horrific 2012, Theo Epstein is just watching and examining.
“Organizationally, there are a lot of barometers we’re watching to make sure we’re moving in the right direction,” Epstein said. “And we know we’re going to make a lot of mistakes along the way. It’s really important to examine everything you do. … You want to make sure when you make mistakes you’re aware of them and figure out why.”
Let’s hope the team is figuring out the why part.
the super late start doesn’t help after an off day
whats the likelyhood they wait to bring him up a week just to mess with the media/ give the media more time to hype him up and get the fans something to look forward to?
I have been following the Rizzo call-up news NOT AT ALL, so can someone briefly explain what this means: “Everyone’s expecting Rizzo to be called up this weekend when his service time is no longer an issue.” ?
Why is his service time no longer an issue this weekend?
If they called him up before today, they would have one fewer year of service time. Free Agency calculations are based on the number of days on the roster, if he gets called up this weekend and stays the rest of the season then it wouldn’t be enough to qualify for a full year in the majors.
If they wait a few more weeks he won’t have enough time in the majors to qualify for a fourth arbitration year either.
Sorry, yes, I know about service time and arbitration, but I didn’t understand how this weekend somehow was the breaking point for a year of service time. Seems like a random early-mid-season date for that to be the cutoff.
Mostly, I guess, I don’t care.
About anything to do with these Cubs.
I’m trying. But . .. meh.
Because he was up last year for the padres.
July 20th is my prediction…first road trip after the all-star break.
Rizzoshanah.
He’s jewish?
I would like someone to answer me this: How come, when *I* said the Cubs would call him up to keep people in the seats, I got laughed at and everyone told me I was stupid, but when Gordo say it, it’s all legit?
Also, I may have inadvertently touched Joe Cowley last night. Ew.
I never said Gordo’s statement was valid. The Cubs aren’t going to call up Rizzo to keep people in the seats. In fact, Rizzo isn’t going to excite much of the fan base outside of those who follow the team religiously like us here. And we aren’t likely to increase the number of games we already go to just to see him play.
This isn’t Stephen Strasburg, Bryce Harper or Mike Trout that we are talking about. Even Kerry Wood, after he made his debut didn’t really attract that many people to Wrigley until after his 20k game.
The only ways Rizzo makes a big impact to attendance is if: a) He hits 15 homers or more in his first month and half or b) He leads the team to a huge winning streak. Neither of those things are likely to happen. And even if they do, they aren’t going to be immediate impacts. It would be a gradual increase.
Twitter says RizZOMG.
I’m on board.
Nice. I show up and everyone leaves.
Just like ALWAYS!
That’s what happens when you publicly fawn over AJ Pierznski.
Shut up.
I don’t generally tend to agree with Doc, but he’s got a point here.
I was not FAWNING over him. I simply said that he was much wittier and cooler than I expected him to be. Also taller.
and, I will add, this is the LAST time I will tell you guys anything about anyone. Because you all suck. Well, not all of you, but Doc.
I don’t know why you’re getting so mad at us about it. You’re the one that likes him. You should be mad at yourself.
You would have liked him, too. He was funny and self-effacing.
Nope. You just don’t know me very well if you think I would like him. Besides, I don’t have a very open mind to such ideas, if it was even true.
Love….true love.
I’m going home.
That’s probably a good idea since you seem to be having a hard time focusing on anything but AJ.
I hope you trip and fall down a well.
I can’t believe you haven’t used the “you’re just jealous” argument.
I’m on the train, so if anything happens with Rizzo, i’ll need someine else to get it up.
Um…I’m not going to get it up because of Rizzo.
(You usually don’t make these things so easy.)
Oh, c’mon I bet YOU could get…
Eh, better not, you’re being super-pissy and might have a way to hit me through my monitor.
THE BIG NEWS WE’VE ALL BEEN WAITING FOR!!!!
Anthony Rizzo has just been informed that…
Kosuke Fukudome has been DFAd.
(shaking head)
This has just been a really strange day.
And you just made it a little more strange.
Really?
yes.
The strange things are happening since Julie disturbed the universe with her AJ crush……
And my next post got eaten?
what do you mean it got eaten?
I posted an IPod 5, hit submit comment, the thingy in my top toolbar refreshed the page but my post was not there…
It didn’t like the songs maybe??
I have impecable taste…
Try again please
I did-hit submit,the screen then went to white,and when I reopened the tab, the comment still was not there. I was on my Ipad if that matters…
I’m pretty sure that it’s an Ipad issue, have you been posting much from it before?
Yes…
Sorry Sloan I suggest that you copy all of your comment before posting it just in case this happens again. I know that I have written large comments before (not on an Ipad) and as soon as I submitted it I got an error message and had to retype all over.
“And we know that we’re going to make a lot of mistakes along the way.”
I would prefer “some mistakes” not “a lot”.
Well the previous clowns running the Cubbies made fewer mistakes because they didn’t do much of anything. I hope they DO make a lot of mistakes…as long as they get 90%++ of the things they do RIGHT.
I read in SI the other day where the writer was gloomily noting how at this part of the season the Red Sox were 7 1/2 behind the 1st place yankees and 4 gms out from the last wild-card spot.
As a Cub fan I would be positively giddy if that was our predicament,
Woo Hoo!!! No more interleague play!
For us anyway.