Hey non-Chicago dwelling Cubs fans. How excited about the Cubs season opener are you? Well don’t get too excited because the Cubs opening day game in Atlanta on April 5th is not going to be on TV for us. Those of us that live in the Quad Cities will need to listen to Pat and Ron because the game will be broadcast on WCIU.
I have a hate-hate relationship with WCIU. We don’t get WCIU here. I thought I had beaten the system last year by subscribing to MLB Extra Innings. However, even though we are almost 200 miles from Chicago, according to Major League Baseball, we are part of the Chicago-area market. So all I could do was watch the other teams feed in a small box with 7 other games on the screen. This gave me the other team’s broadcasters to listen to because the delay with Pat and Ron was too distracting.
Another reason this opening day fiasco is devastating is that Opening Day is the day after Easter, which means I don’t have to work and I would be able to watch the entire game live. I realize it is way too early to make your Opening Day plans (although it apparently isn’t for me, so maybe it isn’t for you either), but last year, I posted how to watch games that aren’t televised in your area. Let’s hope it works this year, though the thrill of Opening Day will be a little subdued if I’m huddled over a computer watching the game.
***Edit – 1:12pm***
Courtesy of Carrie Muskat via Twitter – “Note to Cubs fans unhappy about season opener broadcast on WCIU: That game will likely be on ESPN as part of Opening Day package”
We’ve known all along that getting Reed Johnson back this year would be a long shot. Once the Cubs signed Cliffy Six Nad, that chance faded away completely, yet I still kept my fingers crossed. MLBtraderumors.com is currently reporting that Johnson is close to signing with the Dodgers. I’m not sure if the majority of the fan base will care very much, but personally, I am disappointed to see him go. Though his strippy hookbeard only annoyed me when the Cubs first acquired him in ‘08, he won me over eventually with copious amounts of hustle and hard play. I’ve always been an advocate for getting Johnson more playing time, but it just has never worked out that way with the Cubs. He did appear in 108 games for the Cubs in 2008, and he posted a .303 batting average in 274 plate appearances, and when he was with the Blue Jays, he showed signs that he could be a viable every day option for a team as well. I don’t think that his injuries last year helped his case for staying with the Cubs either.
There will be several feats of Johnson that will stick with me always (sorry that sounds so filthy). He is responsible for one of the best catches I have ever seen/will ever see:
He also got the game-winning hit in the game I went to in ‘08. During his rehab assignment I attended in Peoria, Johnson’s hustle was stunning. He almost had a foot on second base on both of the routine infield pop-ups he hit. And of course, who can forget Reed robbing Fielder of his first grand-slam?
Who will entertain us in the outfield the way Reed Johnson did? We might just have to settle for a few nice Fukudome and Fuld plays and a few bunny hops.
As far as the Nady signing is concerned, I remember thinking how stupid the Pirates were when they let him go. I have come to view that whole thing as the beginning of the Pirates’ string of head-scratching trades. Of course then he proceeded to get injured. Nady is an awesome player when he is healthy. How often have we heard that refrain as Cubs fans? We will miss having Reed.
We are very excited to announce that we are doing a chartered bus trip up to a Cubs game. All the info is on the flyer. E-mail corey@ivyenvy.com for more information or to reserve your seat.
In the last few years, I have not hidden my love for Matt Murton. It dawned on me tonight that I hadn’t checked up on him since the end of last season. From April – October, “Matt Murton” may be my most Google’d term on this computer. I start at his Wikipedia page and plan to continue to Baseball-Reference to swoon over his average production.
This happened in December and because I was not in the mood to read about the Cubs, I missed on Thunder Matt’s Saloon. I looked over the Tigers’ roster and the only name I recognized was Kenji Johjima.
I feel bad for my fellow red-head. Remember how sorry we felt for Fukudome when he first came over? He was a stranger in a foreign land unable to communicate. Murton’s in the same spot and he needs my support. So I decide to buy a Hanshin Tigers hat. Maybe somehow the word would get to Matt that someone in Illinois bought a Hanshin hat, clearly to show their support. It wasn’t difficult to find a Hanshin hat. Nor was it difficult to decide not to spend $77 for a baseball hat.
Major League Baseball threw a big party today with signings all over the place. I’m assuming it was to celebrate the 24th Anniversary of the Bears winning the Super Bowl.
The Cubs finally named their 4th outfielder – Xavier Nady. I’m sure Cubs fans are already brainstorming nicknames based around the letter “X”. What impresses me most about Nady is that his actual name is Xavier Clifford Nady VI. The SIXTH! So this season, I will refer to Nady as: Cliffy Six Nad. I checked Google, and nobody has beat me to that nickname. Cubs fans, it’s my honor to introduce to you, Cliffy Six Nad:
Perhaps female Cubs fans will finally have their replacement for Mark Derosa. The biggest news in this signing is that Reed Johnson is good as gone. Thanks for eating that fence in Toronto and robbing Prince Fielder, Reed.
In other news, the Cubs signed Chad Tracy. Tracy will be 30 this year and has mainly played first base and third base in six season with Arizona. He’s a left-handed hitter with some pop. His most productive season was 2004, when he hit 27 homeruns and batted .308.
When the Cubs signed Marlon Byrd, I found humor in his Baseball-Reference.com profile stating that the most similar batter to Byrd was Reed Johnson. Who is the most similar batter to Chad Tracy? Xavier Nady. Eighth most similar batter to Tracy? Marlon Byrd. Third most similar batter at age 29? Milton Bradley.
Oh yeah, and the Cardinals signed Rich Hill. It is now guaranteed that he will baffle the Cubs line-up and post a double-digit win total in 2010.
I’d like to give a shout-out to regular Ivy Envy podcast guest and Dispatch-Argus sportswriter, Matt Veto. Veto has the unfortunate responsibility of covering the Cardinals and their Single-A affiliate here in the Quad Cities. With the Cardinals Caravan rolling into town yesterday, I expected today’s Sports Page to be dominated by Cardinals. I was pleasantly surprised when I started Veto’s column and saw the word “steroids” five words in. I appreciate the reminder to the general public that the Cardinals have hired an admitted cheater.
I mentioned this whole McGwire/Jack Clark thing to a Cardinals fan today and he stated he felt that Jack Clark deserved boo’s for “speaking against a fellow former Cardinal”. The following quote is from Veto’s column:
“What he and Sammy (Sosa) did at the time put people in the seats for the next five or 10 years, even up until today. It rejuvenated the game. I kind of wished the whole thing never came out, but it did.” — Former third baseman Ken Reitz on Mark McGwire and his steroids admission.
Yes, the regret is that it came out. There’s no regret that those guys were inflating statistics by injecting themselves.
For some reason, my hatred for the Cardinals has softened in the last few years. It’s quickly becoming more intense than it ever was. I suppose posts on consecutive days about the Cardinals might be the first sign that this is happening.
Like most baseball fans, I was shocked when the Cardinals hired Mark McGwire as their hitting coach. I think the case can be made that McGwire’s cheating (and Sosa’s, while we’re at it) impacted baseball on a much larger scale than any betting Pete Rose did. Of course, MLB knew exactly what was going on when scrawny 20 year olds ended up looking like body-builders in their mid 30’s, so they aren’t going to take any strong stance against the players that took steroids. They will rely on the sports-writers to keep those guys out of the Hall of Fame. But that doesn’t keep those guys out of baseball.
My current disappointment is with Cardinals fans. I would expect something like this from a club that is managed by Tony LaRussa, but I was surprised to hear how Cardinals fans greeted McGwire at the Cardinals’ Winter Warm-up. If the Cubs were to hire Sammy Sosa, in any capacity, I could not get behind it at all. I would expect a heavy dose of heckling if Sosa was to be introduced at the Cubs Convention.
But Cardinals fans cheered for Mark McGwire as he was introduced at their Winter Warm-up. Many were wearing t-shirts that said “Welcome Back Mac”. I really can’t understand how they could rally around him. Earlier in the week, I was happy to hear former Cardinals first baseman Jack Clark voice his opposition of McGwire, by stating that players that used steroids are cheaters and fakes. How did Cardinals fans react when Clark was introduced? He was “dusted by boo’s” according to Joe Strauss of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
I have spoken with two Cardinals fans in the last week about all of this, since McGwire’s sit-down with Bob Costas. Both were not in favor of McGwire being hired, but didn’t seem too passionate about it. In this whole situation, I’ve realized I’m trying to do something impossible. I am trying to understand the rationale of the typical Cardinals fan.
Greg Maddux was hired as an assistant to Jim Hendry today. For the last two or three years, I’ve fantasized about Greg Maddux replacing Larry Rothschild. Regardless of his job duties, I’m glad to see Maddux involved with the Cubs. I also don’t feel as dirty about the Cubs retiring Maddux’s jersey, considering he chose to continue his post-player baseball career with the Cubs.
Imagine, the Maddux vs. Steve Stone for GM debates when Hendry resigns/is fired.
I have always liked Randy Johnson. He’s a sure-bet for the Hall of Fame and it’s pretty safe to say that in my lifetime, he’s dominated the world of pitching and mullets. He was a 10-time All Star, 5-time Cy Young Winner (won in both NL and AL) and finished with 303 wins. Johnson led the Majors in strikeouts in 9 seasons. He retires 2nd, only behind Nolan Ryan, in career strikeouts. Randy Johnson was a Cubs-killer, though. In that respect, I’m glad to see him go. But I always enjoyed watching him, and his dominance is something that you see only in a few players in your lifetime. My favorite Randy Johnson memory is him facing John Kruk in the 1993 All-Star game. By the way, I hate the fact that MLB clips are so difficult to find on the internet. My other favorite memory of Johnson pitching is pretty obvious:
* The Cardinals signed Matt Holliday for 7 years and $120 million.
The Cardinals would not have made it to the playoffs in the 2009 season without Matt Holiday. Of course, the Cardinals had a chance in the playoffs until James Loney hit a flyball to Holliday.
Holliday is a very good player. I am not sure the Cardinals made the right move. I’m assuming that Albert Pujols played a major role in this. He probably told the Cardinals that if they want to keep him, they need to stay competitive and they need to protect him in the lineup. The length of the contract really surprised me. I think this was a major mistake by the Cardinals, but since it’s the Cardinals…I’m all for anything that will hurt them. It creates a weird situation for a team that is in a small market and likes to conduct itself like an efficient small market team. My prediction: The Cardinals get a few good seasons out of Holliday (nothing like he was for them in 2009) and it keeps Pujols in St. Louis. His fielding abilities will drop and he’ll be moved to a corner outfield position. His batting will decrease and then the Cardinals will be stuck with a guy earning a ridiculous salary that should be DH in the American League. I can only hope he will be to Cardinals fans what Soriano is to us.
We continue to have problems with the iTunes feed for the Ivy Envy Podcast.
We have had problems for the last few months with the podcast on iTunes. Andy will fix it and then a few days later, it does not work again. If there we have an error message in your iTunes that our URL or feed is not valid, you can find the podcast episodes here on the website. We had a lot of fun with the baseball card episode, so if you haven’t heard that, check it out.
