Yesteray was the first time in a few years that both Mark Prior and Kerry Wood were pitching for the Chicago Cubs.  Mark Prior struggled, only pitching an inning and a third giving up three runs.  He said he felt fine and just threw fastballs.  Reports are saying his fastballs were only being clocked in the mid 80’s though.  One Cubs reporter said he topped out at 89.  That isn’t the Mark Prior that we know as Cubs fans.  Well usually he is hurt, which he could still be, but usually he can throw mid 90’s as well.

Kerry Wood on the other hand was great.  He pitched one inning, and sat down all three batters in only twelve pitches.  Eight of Wood’s pitchers were for strikes so that is great news.   And he was throwing 95 MPH without feeling sorness.  Woody just might become this teams setup / closer before this season is over!

We will have to give Prior and Wood a few more weeks and see where they stand,but hopefully Prior can gain more velocity, and Wood can keep doing what he is doing!

Oh ya, and the Cubbies picked up their first win of Spring Training yesterday!  GO CUBS!!!!

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Dugout Box seat, Bleacher Box seat and Bullpen Box seat tickets for each Chicago Cubs home game for the 2007 Major League Baseball regular season will soon be available for purchase. Since there are a limited number of tickets available for the Dugout Box, Bleacher Box and Bullpen Box seats, applicants must fill out and submit the registration form below to participate in this opportunity to purchase. Tickets will be available for purchase on a single game basis only. No season ticket sales will be available. There are 213 Dugout Box seats running dugout to dugout, 82 Bullpen box seats running at the end of the visitors dugout to the bullpen, and 252 Bleacher Box seats located between the right field bleachers and the foul pole.

Registration closes at 3:00 p.m. Central Time (”CT”) on Sunday, March 11, 2007. The Cubs will then conduct a random selection of winners from the pool of registrants. The winners will have the opportunity to purchase up to six (6) Dugout Box, Bleacher Box or Bullpen Box tickets at face value, plus convenience and handling fees, for one (1) Chicago Cubs regular season home game. Exact date, times and instructions for ticket purchase will be communicated by e-mail to each applicant selected. If a selected applicant does not follow these instructions, he or she will forfeit the opportunity to purchase tickets. Games available for purchase will be determined by the Chicago Cubs in their sole discretion. There is no charge to register for this opportunity. There is no obligation to buy a ticket.

In order to be eligible for this opportunity, you must be eighteen (18) years of age or older. In addition, you must complete and submit the entry form located below during the time period commencing at 9:00 a.m. CT on Wednesday, March 7, 2007 and ending at 3:00 p.m. CT on Sunday, March 11, 2007. Limit one entry per person. Only entry forms submitted to the Cubs during this time period will be included in the random drawing. Entries generated by a script, macro, or other mechanical or automated means will not be valid. Multiple entries for the same individual will also not be valid.

A random drawing will be held on Monday, March 12, 2007 and each applicant selected will be notified on Tuesday, March 13, 2007 via the e-mail address submitted on the registration form. The selected applicants’ designated purchase times are determined by a random drawing. In the event that the winner does not respond to such notification by purchasing Dugout Box, Bleacher Box or Bullpen Box tickets by 11:00 p.m. CT Thursday, March 15, 2007, a disqualification will result. Please be sure to provide us with an accurate e-mail address. The Cubs are not responsible for any e-mail notifications that are bounced back or misdirected. Exact date, times and instructions for ticket purchase will be communicated in the e-mail to each applicant selected. If a selected applicant does not follow these instructions, he or she will forfeit the opportunity to purchase tickets. Games available for purchase will be determined by the Chicago Cubs in their sole discretion.

Individual tickets for Dugout Box seats are from $55.00 for Value Games, $130.00 for Regular Games and $255.00 for Prime Games. Individual tickets for Bleacher Box seats are from $24.00 for Value Games, $47.00 for Regular Games and $62.00 for Prime Games. Individual tickets for Bullpen Box seats are from $45.00 for Value Games, $80 for Regular Games and $155 for Prime Games. Ticket prices for the Dugout Box seats, Bleacher Box seats and Bullpen Box seats correspond with the same three tier variable pricing structure used for value, regular and prime dates used for other tickets in Wrigley Field. All sales are final.

Yesterdays game was the first televised game for the Cubs as they played on WGN.  I was able to watch most of the game and came away a little impressed.  It was nice to see Alfonso Soriano go 3-3 in the game, and see Derrek Lee hit his first home run.

Rich Hill had an ok outing, would have been really good if he wouldn’t have gave up the homer to Konerko.  Once again though, it was the relief pitchers that just coudn’t get it done in the middle to late innings.  How long until we stop saying it is just spring training?  I say once they first roster cuts are made and you have starting pitchers throwing 5-6 innings per game.

The Cubs travel to Peoria, Ariz., on Monday to play the Seattle Mariners at 2:05 p.m. CT. Mark Prior, Ted Lilly and Kerry Wood are scheduled to pitch for the Cubs.

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Last tuesday, the Hall of Fame Veteran’s Committee voted to keep Ron Santo out of the Hall for one reason or another. Of course, they have their motivations, whether it’s because Ronnie had a habit of clicking his heels at third base during the ‘69 season (bad juju if you ask me) or because he’s seen as a shameless self-promoter among baseball royalty (as if Joe Morgan is some sort of model of humility), he’s not getting in for at least another 2 years.

You may notice that among my examples, I failed to mention a reason including anything that went on during the actual games that he played in. If the Veteran’s Committee wants to keep Santo out for extra-curricular purposes, than so be it, but they shouldn’t pretend that it has anything to do with Ronnie’s play at third base over the course of his career. If they voted based solely on performance, he should have been a mortal lock on his first ballot, as his contemporary Brooks Robinson was. In fact, Santo posted far superior offensive statistics to Robinson and was at least comparable defensively. While Robinson was winning the AL MVP in 1964, Santo was having a better year on his way to finishing a distant 8th in the NL race. Let’s take a look at those numbers, shall we? (I’m using the conventional statistics of BA/OBP/SLG/OPS/OPS+ here) 

Robinson: .317/.368/.521/.889/145

Santo: .313/.398/.564/.962/164

While the batting averages are similar, Santo is significantly better in the other categories. Santo was more patient and put the ball in play more effectively, taking 334 total bases to Robinson’s 319.

As good as Robinson was on defense that season, Santo may have been better. Here, I’m looking at fielding percentage as compared to league fielding percentage and range factor as compared to league range factor (FP/LFP/RF/LRF).

Robinson: .972/.955/2.94/2.76

Santo: .963/.941/3.25/2.60

Wow. Not much difference there, and Santo appears to have the edge in RF, although he naturally had more opportunities based on the amount of strikeouts Orioles pitchers recorded. Both players were All-Stars and won their respective Gold Gloves.

Some might say that 1964 was a fluke year for Santo, that it’s not reflective of his actual career production, to which I’d say that there is more proof to back up my case. The ensuing 2 years were the continuance of offensive peaks for both players, although Santo’s peak would last longer. In 1965, Robinson would finish 3rd in the AL MVP balloting, while Santo would finish 18th in the NL. In 1966, Robinson would again be a finalist, finishing 2nd, while Santo finished 12th. Let’s take a look at exactly what kind of travesty that was:

Robinson:

1965: .297/.351/.445/.796/124

1966: .269/.333/.444/.777/125

Santo:

1965: .285/.378/.510/.888/146

1966: .312/.412/.538/.950/161

As you can see, both players were probably at their best, offensively, from 1964-1966. And if you tell me that there is any comparison here then you’re crazy. Santo’s numbers tower over Robinson’s, and they would continue to do so until Ronnie’s final season in 1974. What’s more is that it’s not even close, Santo would go on to have another great year in 1967 while Robinson would have a typical one, posting very ordinary numbers.

That’s not to say that Robinson was totally inferior to Ronnie, he obviously had career longevity (although you can hardly hold that against Santo, what with the diabetes and all) as well as postseason appearances on his side. Unfortunately, these may very well be the deciding factors in why Robinson was elected nearly unanimously on the first ballot and why Santo received a paltry 3%. In case you were wondering, the career numbers are as follows:

Robinson: .267/.322/.401/.723/104-merely average numbers, not those of a first ballot hall of famer, to be sure.

Santo: .277/.362/.464/.826/125-the numbers stand by and for themselves.

Now we may see why Robinson has campaigned for Ronnie in the past, perhaps he’s a bit embarassed to be in so quickly while Ron has sat at the fence, looking in on the players that he used to dominate both at the plate and in the field. Maybe it’s Robinson’s sense of guilt that has compelled him to speak on behalf of Santo, that would make sense.

But, in the end, Brooks just probably wants to see his friend in the Hall for personal reasons, and ”personal reasons” are what the Veteran’s Committee is all about, right?

  

You can’t fault Carlos Zambrano when you ask him what he expects this year.  Right off the bat he will tell you that he is going to win the Cy Young, and that the Cubbies are going to win the World Series!

We can also expect to see the emotion out of Big Z that we have seen since he has stepped foot on the mound.  Manager Lou Piniella says he is an emotional manager, and he loves to see his players have emotion out on the field.  Zambrano is going to fit right in with Piniella I’m thinking.

We can only hope that Zambrano’s words come true in 2007!

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Once again errors hurt the Cubs as they lost to the Angels 9-6 at HoHoKam Park.

Carlos Zambrano, the Opening Day starter, gave up one hit and struck out four of the seven batters he faced over two innings. Rapada was roughed up, giving up five runs on five hits, including three homers, in two-thirds of an inning.  Great too see Big Z pitch lights out for two innings!

At the plate, Matt Murton lead the Cubs going 3-3 with 4 RBI’s and his first home run of Spring Training.  Eric Patterson also had a two run homer in the 8th inning.

The Cubs travel to Phoenix to play the Oakland Athletics on Saturday. Wade Miller is slated to start for the Cubs against Dan Haren.

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Well this is why we have spring training lol.  The Cubs feel to the Giants 9-2 in their first Spring Training game of 2007.

Jason Marquis got the start and pitched two innings, allowing three hits and one run.  He threw mostly strikes so that is what you love to see during Spring Training.  It was the Cubs relivers and errors that cost the Cubs the game in the later innings.

At the plate for plate for the Cubs, Derrek Lee had one hit off of Barry Zito as well did Cesar Izturis.  Geovany Soto hit an RBI triple in the seventh, and Brian Dopirak hit an RBI single in the eighth.

Up next for the Cubs is a game tomorrow against the Angels as #1 pitchers Carlos Zambrano makes his first start of Spring Training.

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First off, I have to say thank you to Sam Reich for sending me his newely published book “Waiting For Cooperstown“.  What a great book it was to read over the past week.  Especially as the veteran committe Hall of Fame vote was happening at the same time.

For you Cubs fans, this is a must read for you.  Mr. Reich has Ron Santo at the top of his list for players that aren’t in the Hall of Fame but should be.  The book has so many stats backing up the players that Mr. Reich feels should be in the Hall of Fame.

Waiting for Cooperstown covers the years 1901-1972 so if you are really into the old time players and their stats make sure you take the time to visit the books website and order yourself a copy!  The book is 176 pages long, and has a ton of stats to keep you busy.

A little bit of information about Mr. Reich taken from the back cover of his book:
Mr. Reich has been a lawyer for more then four decades.  He has serverd as a federal prosecutor, criminal defense attorney, law school professor, and Bar Association president.  He and his Pittsburgh law firm, Reich, Alexander, Reisinger & Farrell, LLC, are active in sports law as well.  One of his specialties has involved baseball salary arbitrations, and he has provided services for to many well-known baseball stars.  His brother Tom, is a well known agent in the baseball world.  His son Steve, has extensive involvement in marketing professional baseball and hockey players.  As you can tell, Mr. Reich knows his sports and lives through them everyday!

Once again, please take the time to visit the Waiting for Cooperstown website, and I recommend you buy a copy of the book.  Well worth it!