This is what we’re currently looking at here in Chicago:

Per Tom Skilling, we’re supposed to get as much rain in the next two days as we usually do in the entire month of April. The forecast includes “strong storms” all evening, followed by “heavy rain, thunder.” Translation: No window in sight. To be honest, I just can’t see this one getting played. In fact, I’m currently missing the pre-game festitivies that Bing invited me to because of the monsoon outside my window. Boo.

» Continue reading “Chicago Cubs Game Thread: Is This Thing Rained Out Yet?”

Finally, we get to see the Marlins’ home-run monstrosity for ourselves. Sort of. If we have CSN. Which I don’t. Let me know how it is.

Ryan Dempster goes for the Cubs tonight against righty Josh Johnson, and Clevenger gets the start behind the plate. Otherwise, no real surprises in the lineup. We won’t, however, be seeing Kerry Wood, as he has flown back to Chicago to get a cortisone shot in his shoulder. (Uh oh.)

Carrie Muskat tweeted that the Cubs took advantage of the nice weather for an early workout, and apparently the roof will be open for the game. Every other beat writer in the world appears to have either been chasing down Ozzie Guillen or Carlos Zambrano, so expect all manner of choice quotes in tomorrow’s papers. Paul Sullivan is winning the prize so far with this:

Lineup below the fold.

» Continue reading “Live Game Thread: Cubs @ Marlins, 6:10 Central”

None of us think the Cubs will be any good this year. There are probably few of us who don’t expect Carlos Marmol to implode in spectacular fashion every time he steps on the mound. But Chris Bosio doesn’t want any of us worrying about Carlos.

“Carlos has been fine,” Bosio said quickly when the subject of Marmol was broached.

Then Bosio went on to display his difficulty with subject/verb agreement.

“There has been a couple of instances where we got beat in the 3-4 hole where he’s giving up ground balls and that’s all we can ask of him,” Bosio said. “Once the balls get put in play, we want our guys to get early outs and in this case there are a couple of balls that have snuck through the infield. That’s going to happen.”

All we need to worry about with Marmol are the grounders he induces making it into the hands of our reliable fielders. I feel so much better.

» Continue reading “Cubs Tuesday Headlines: Bosio Says Marmol A-Okay”

Much like the Pointer Sisters, Dale Sveum's so excited and he just can't hide it.

There is a serious amount of Spring Training information overload out there. I think there are more pertinent Cubs articles today than there have been in the last two months combined. So if you see something I’ve missed, please feel free to share it in the comments. I promise I won’t be offended. Maybe a little hurt, but not offended.

As you might have guessed from this post’s title and accompanying photo, Dale Sveum is eager to get the ball rolling this year.

“It feels like I got hired two years ago,” Sveum said.

(snip)

“When you do this for so many years, the most comfortable spot is when you’re on that grass at spring training and when the balls are being hit and caught and thrown and to be able to talk to everybody,” he said. “It’s officially baseball season, finally, and it’s almost comfortable.”

Enjoy that feeling of almost-comfort, Dale. It probably won’t last long around this team. One of the first orders of business for Sveum and pitching coach Chris Bosio was fixing Carlos Marmol. Step one: scrap the cutter that Marmol was throwing last year.

“He is what he is — he’s an impressive closer but he’s a slider guy with one of the best, unhittable sliders that we’ve seen in a long time,” Sveum said. “That’s what he is and unfortunately sometimes he can get into a lot of pitches in innings because of it, but it’s so devastating he gets out of it, too. You don’t want him doing anything that Carlos Marmol isn’t used to. I think he’ll be back to that this year.”

So how was his first day with Bosio?

“Chris Bosio has talked to him about a few mechanical things about his shoulders and keeping his shoulders level and things like that,” Sveum said. “He wants to lean back and crank velocity and create arm strength through his shoulders and then he gets out of whack. It’s more just keeping his shoulders in line with the strike zone. I think that will help him tremendously.

“Every time ‘Bos’ mentioned it to him after a scud, right away he got his shoulders back on line and made quality pitches,” Sveum said. “Some guys, it’s big fixes, and some guys, if they take to it in the right language it hits home with them.”

Sounds like they’ve already done more good than Quade and Riggins did all last year. I suppose we’ll have to wait and see.

» Continue reading “Cubs Monday Headlines: Sveum’s So Excited”

Julie posted last night about the Cubs trading Carlos Zambrano to the Marlins for Chris Volstad. If we’d all been listening to Theo Epstein’s interview on WGN radio yesterday, we would have seen the writing on the wall.

“The Carlos Zambrano of 2011 and years previous can’t fit into the culture that we have here,” Epstein said. “Change needs to happen and change will happen. Either he’ll change and buy in and fit into this culture — and I understand there are a lot of skeptics around about that, and I understand that, and frankly, I’m skeptical as well.

“He needs to prove to us that he can change and be part of this culture,” Epstein said, “or we’ll change the personnel and move forward with people who are proud to be Cubs and treat their teammates with respect, treat the fans with respect and can be part of a winning culture in the Cubs’ clubhouse.”

So what do we know about Chris Volstad? We know he started LOHO day in 2008, the day the legend of Chad “J’Accuse” Gaudin was born. This was the same day the true nature of Reed Johnson and Mark DeRosa’s pecs was revealed. So Chris Volstad is already a part of our history. As for his baseball prowess…

Volstad, 25, was 5-13 with a 4.89 ERA in 29 starts last season with the Marlins, striking out 117 over 165 2/3 innings. In 103 games over four seasons in Florida, he was 32-39 with a 4.59 ERA. Volstad earned $445,000 last season; he will not be a free agent until after the 2014 season.

I suppose the important numbers there are his salary and team control through 2014. He’s also 6’8″, so will be an asset on the Cubs’ off-season basketball team.

» Continue reading “Cubs Thursday Headlines: Vaya Con Dios, Big Z”

We still don’t know what Carlos Zambrano is supposed to be doing this winter to earn his way back to Chicago. Zambrano does know, and he’s apparently covering half of South America while trying to cross-train his way back to the good graces of the Cubs.

Talking to reporters at the derby, Zambrano outlined his re-commitment to the Cubs following a disastrous 2011 season. “I’m preparing like when I was a rookie, climbing mountains, running on the beach, and exercising hard so that I can arrive at Spring Training in optimal shape,” he said, as relayed by Joiner Martinez at Líder en Deportes. “I want to stay in Chicago for the two seasons I still have with the team. I’m not a coward who would take the back door out of the majors.”

This sounds like a prime chance for a Big Z as Rocky montage when they make his biopic. Someone write that idea down. Zambrano also tied Carlos Gonzalez of the Rockies in a home run derby.

» Continue reading “Cubs Wednesday Headlines: Zambrano Back In Form”

There is such little happening in baseball at the moment that even Crazy Uncle Phil didn’t hear any whispers yesterday. You might wonder how I’ve managed to find anything to post given that fact, but it’s only because I’m amazing. Our first story today comes from Joel Sherman of the New York Post.

With Albert Pujols now signed with the Angels, Prince Fielder becomes the biggest hitting prize left in the field. The Cubs and Mariners are definitely bidding for the slugger. There are conflicting reports on if the Nationals, Brewers, Rangers and Marlins are involved. But a person that is talking to the Fielder camp said he believes all of those teams are pursuing Fielder.

In canvassing executives, the Cubs were generally viewed as the most likely landing place, mainly for two reasons: 1) A belief that new team president Theo Epstein wants to make a statement sign in his first year and 2) Epstein recognizes the dearth of power in the game and sees Fielder as one of the few bona fide sluggers who will be available over the next few years.

Several media outlets are reporting tonight that the Cubs and Rangers are discussing a deal that would send Matt Garza to Texas for prospects. At the same time, the gossip that the Marlins are interested in Carlos Zambrano has picked up steam in the last few hours.

If both rumors prove true, the Cubs would be left with Ryan Dempster and Randy Wells as experienced starters, though the Cubs have been speaking to Rodrigo Lopez’s agent in Dallas for the last few days.

More news as it breaks, is made up, or is speculated upon.

At the end of the regular season, there weren’t many of us who thought Carlos Pena would be offered arbitration. As things unfolded, it was made known that Pena was seeking at least a two-year contract, and likely wouldn’t accept arbitration from the Cubs. That scenario has come to pass.

Carlos Pena will not accept arbitration, according to a report Wednesday. MLB Network’s Jon Heyman said Pena will be going back on the market. In his one season in Chicago, Pena batted .225 with 28 homers and 80 RBIs. The deadline for players is 11 p.m. CT Wednesday.

And while the Cubs are stocking their coaching staff with former Brewers, the Brewers are looking at a former Cub at the hot corner.

The Brewers are reportedly interested in Ramirez, 33, who won his first Silver Slugger award this season, batting .306 with 26 homers and 93 RBIs, and is considered the top free agent third baseman available. Ramirez’s agent Paul Kinzer has said his client is looking for a multi-year contract.

I’m not eager to see Aramis stay in the division. Hopefully he ends up in the AL.

» Continue reading “Cubs Wednesday Headlines: Winter Meetings Mania”