Lou Hints Soriano May Not Lead Off, Cubs Fans Thank Their Respective Gods

Lou Pinella seems like an intelligent man to most of us. Though he is a bit stubborn at times, he clearly has an understanding of the game of baseball. While not exactly a sabermetrician, he does not make retarded Dusty Baker-esque comments like "we don't want to draw a lot of walks, it clogs up the basepaths."

Even though he seems to understand baseball, there are still a few questionable moves he has made. Foremost among those was his insistence that Soriano lead off. It appears that he is finally starting to budge on that one:

Cubs manager Lou Piniella has stuck by Alfonso Soriano as his leadoff man the last two seasons but on Monday said he may drop the left fielder down in the order. Piniella said he talked to Soriano at the Cubs Convention about it. One reason for the switch is that Soriano doesn't run as much as he used to.

I will just ignore that comment about how he doesn't run like he used to (running is overrated and in fact can be detrimental to the team if the success rate is not very high, it is also almost completely irrelevant to the effectiveness of a leadoff man). While he is not a terrible leadoff man, his numbers are clearly not conducive to getting on base, the most important thing from a leadoff man. It's not that he is bad at it, he actually had a .344 OBP last season. The thing is that he has a high slugging percentage at .532 which makes him far better suited to the 3, 4, 5, or even 6 spot in the lineup. On top of that, there are 7 everyday players that have a higher OBP than Soriano: Johnson, Lee, Soto, Ramirez, Theriot, Fontenot and...the player everyone loves to hate...Fukudome! Yes all 7 of those players had better OBPs. I don't hate Soriano, but I do hate him in the leadoff spot. Hit him 5th or 6th and have a Theriot, Fontenot, Johnson, or, dare I say it, Kosuke, lead off. Make it happen Lou.

And yes, I'm just as excited as you that baseball is almost here.

Chicago's Worst Contracts

In honor of Larry Hughes and his terrible contract, I decided to write about the worst sports contracts that currently exist in Chicago. I didn't include any Bears contracts since none of the money is guaranteed, so the team can cut a bad contract pretty much anytime. God willing Hughes and all these people will be gone soon, but until then, here goes:

Almost Over
Larry Hughes ($13 million a year through 2010): The issues with Larry Hughes have been well-documented here. While his numbers haven't been horrendous this year, he is a notorious team cancer and he steals minutes from a team that is trying to develop it's young backcourt. Are we really better off with Hughes than we were with Ben Wallace? I think its a wash.

Jose Contreras ($10 million a year through 2009): Ok, so Contreras had an unbelievable 2005 season that was key to the Sox title run. He had a decent year in 2006 and was then rewarded with this 3 year deal which made some sense at the time. His numbers have slid since then, however, posting a 5.57 ERA in 2007 and a 4.54 in an injury-riddled 2008. 2009 remains to be seen, but his contract is up after this season, so he won't be a problem for long.


Too Early to Tell
Kirk Hinrich ($9.5 million a year through 2012): Kirk Hinrich seemed like he would be a solid contributor on the Bulls for years. He may have reached his ceiling, but the Bulls were willing to pay him a 4 year deal based on that ceiling. Unfortunately he had an awful awful year last season (along with the rest of the Bulls). With the acquisition of Rose, it now looks like even if he gets back to his former 16ppg and 6apg lines, there may not be a place for him in the lineup. It remains to be seen if he can play next to Rose.

Alfonso Soriano ($17 million a year through 2014): Obviously he has the potential to be great. Even without the steals that he used to put up in New York, his bat can still sing and carry the Cubs offense for long stretches. If he can stay healthy, this contract may not be that terrible. That being said, he claims that he is 33, but the truth is he is probably more like 35 or 36. That would make him 39 and 40 in the final years of his contract. Very few players production gets better or even stays the same at that age, excluding Barry Bonds of course.

Luol Deng ($11.5 million a year through 2014): It's way too soon to tell with Luol. I was reluctant to put him on this list at first, but if he cannot find his place in this offense, it may turn out being a bad contract. At this point it seems his best may be a second option, which is definitely not worth the $71 million he got. He is also coming off an injury and learning his place in a new offense. Only time will tell.

Cristobal Huet (4 years, $22.5 Mil): Huet's contract didn't look bad at all with Khabibulin struggling last year. Khabibulin's deal would have come close to topping this list a year ago actually. The Hawks signed Nikolai to a four year, $27 million deal when he was 32. Huet was also 32 when the Hawks inked him for $4.5 million less. However, with Khabibulin playing well, the Hawks have two goaltenders taking up two of their four biggest contracts. It's great to have a dependable backup, and it was nice of him to push Khabibulin to be decent, but that's a lot of money for a backup. Obviously the deal could end up being okay if Huet emerges as a starter when Bulin leaves, or the Hawks can use him as trade bait to get another defender or veteran scorer for the playoffs. Remember the Hawks still have promising youngster Corey Crawford waiting for his turn. (Thanks to StevieY19 for contributing on this one)

Just Plain Awful
Andres Nocioni ($7 million a year through 2012): This guy is terrible. Somehow his +/- is high, but that statistic is very misleading. He is not worth this money, but could be at least somewhat useful if used as a SMALL FORWARD (stop playing him at pf and c Vinny, we get killed on the glass!) in short bursts to bring energy off the bench. He can't guard anyone on defense and he is a black hole on offense. The one great thing about Nocioni is that someone somewhere will probably think he is a good piece to add to their team. But will Pax pull the trigger if he gets the chance? Probably not.

Kosuke Fukudome ($12 million a year through 2011): This one is painful for me. I bought a Kosuke jersey tee 2 days after they signed him last winter. He was unstoppable in April and May and even though I felt like a douche wearing a trendy Fukudome shirt, at least he was playing well. We all know what happened next. The bottom completely fell out. His performance from May onwards was horrendous. He is very good defensively and extremely patient at the plate, which makes him useful as a late inning defensive replacement and a pinch hitter; the highest-paid defensive replacement/pinch hitter in the National League. There is a slim chance he can adjust to major league pitching. Very slim.

Today's Links

• In honor of Rickey Henderson getting into the Hall of Fame, here's some classic Rickey moments. I'm not sure if they are all true, but they are believable either way. (Thanks to The Bad Guy for this link)
  
• Oh you liked that poop story? Well here's Part 2.
• A nice long Bulls clip from the 1997 season. "Michael palming the ball and waving it about. Michael just abusing Isaiah Rider. Michael with some sick assists to Caffey and Kukoc. Etc, etc."
• Is Chone Figgins going to play for the White Sox next season? And if so, what is it going to take to pry him away from the Angels.
• I'm not a big shoe guy, but the Air Jordan 2009s look pretty sick.
  
• The Bears hire former Bear John Hoke to be the secondary coach. I'm on board with bringing in new assistants, but the problems run a bit deeper than that, don't you think?
• I know we are all used to the 5-man rotation in baseball these days, but why couldn't the Cubs go to a 4.5 man rotation?
• Zoner makes the case that the Bulls have no leadership. No offense, but duh.
• Apparently the Cubs are denying this report, but rumor has it they are pursuing a Japanese pitcher to be chums with Kosuke.

Money Well-Spent....Sort Of; Welcome to Chicago Milton Bradley

Milton Bradley coming to Chicago is good and bad news. The 3 year 30 million dollar deal he was given by the Cubs Monday has been splashed all over the sports media outlets, but what does it mean for the Cubs? For starters, we have to look at how it came to this.

Two things led to the sense that an acquisition of someone like Milton Bradley was necessary for the Cubs to have more success than last season. The first is Kosuke Fukudome. Even now I still want to like Kosuke. He seems like a hard worker that plays the game the right way (and I wasted $25 on a Fuku jersey tee). Unfortunately his average, which was around .325 6 weeks into the season, took a huge dip. Even though he was still drawing walks, he could not hit. Not only that, but the little he did hit was not for power. The second thing, which is tied directly to the first, is the perception that the lack of a power hitting left handed bat is what caused the Cubs to falter in October. There is no reason to discuss the faultiness of that rationale here, but suffice it to say that perception created the "need" for a player like Milton Bradley.

There is no question that Milton Bradley is a talented player. In 9 seasons he has an OBP of .370 and a SLG of .457. Unfortunately he has only played in 817 games during that time, an average of 93 games a year. As someone recently pointed out to me, his career arc through his first 9 seasons is eerily similar to that of Carl Everett's (844 games, .349 OBP, .477 SLG) in not only statistics but also attitude. While Bradley has been effective when he's played, he's been a bane to the teams he was on while he was not playing.

Was Bradley a good acquisition for the Cubs? The injury history should make all Cubs fans a bit cautious, as should the theatrics and behavior problems of his past. There is no way to predict whether he will stay healthy, though it seems like a good bet that he will not, but in terms of his behavior there really is nothing to worry about. Lou Pinella will be able to control Bradley. He does not take much crap from anyone, and Milton Bradley will be no exception. Pinella will have Bradley playing by the rules or he won't be playing.

What about the outfield, you ask? Well if Bradley stays healthy and sane (that's a big if), the outfield should work out just fine. Soriano in left, Fukudome/Gathright in center, and Bradley in right. Obviously the corner positions will leave something to be desired defensively, but Fukudome and Gathright are fast enough to help pick up the slack. ***UPDATE: Reed Johnson can also get starts at any of the 3 outfield positions to give guys a rest or fill in when someone gets hurt, which is likely. (Thanks to reader Cousin Danis for reminding me about Reed).

One last quick note: Whether this works out or not, the loss of Mark DeRosa to clear cap space was unfortunate and will cost the team. He was a beloved player in the clubhouse and among fans. Besides that he had a career year at the plate and his versatility in the field will be missed. Good luck De-Ro.

There's Only One Person To Blame For The Cubs Epic Collapse in 2008: Fukudome's Translator

While the finger pointing from outside the Cubs organization has piled up in the last month since the Cubs got on their knees and blew the NLDS, very little has been heard from within the organization about why they feel the Cubs screwed up. Well actions speak louder than words, and Jim Hendry is making a clear statement of blame here:

Hendry already has made...moves this off-season...firing Fukudome's interpreter, Ryuji Araki. Hendry wants to find an interpreter who jells better with the Japanese outfielder.

There you have it. So next time you hear them talking about team chemistry, don't just think about Theriot and DeRosa's ability to turn double plays or players getting along in the clubhouse. Remember, if a sacred relationship between a foreign player and his interpreter goes wrong, a whole season can go in the toilet. Wait wait wait, I have a better idea than firing Kosuke's interpreter: Acquire a power hitting left-handed bat! No, no that can't be right.(Thanks to Ethan for finding this little bit of news).

O'Hare Employees Hate Kosuke More Than I Do

I'm a little upset with Kosuke right now. And by a little I mean I can't stand his little asian face. apparently, neither can the people working the public address system at O'Hare:

Passengers at O'Hare Airport were surprised to hear his name being paged
over the public address system in Terminal B on Friday morning.
But it turned out that it was all a joke.

"Paging Kosuke Fukudome, paging Kosuke Fukudome ... Please report to the Cincinnati Reds. You have been traded for a player to be named later."

Some of the passengers waiting for flights laughed, while others cringed.

I wish this was true. Addition by subtraction. I wanted to love you Kosuke....why have you forsaken me?

Looks Like More Fukudome...Maybe

Before Game 1 of the NLDS, Lou Piniella said he would like to go with Fukudome in right field for the entire series. Last night's game saw Kosuke go 0-4 hitting in the two spot.

After Fukdome's hitless game, the Cubs manager was less sure whether Fukudome would remain in the lineup for each of the rest of the games, saying

"I'm not sure, we'll just have to wait until [Thursday] and see."

Of course, Kosuke's defense is a factor in the decision, evidenced by his nice stumbling catch by the Dodger bullpen last night. He also did a decent job running up the count and putting the ball in play. Only his last at-bat ended in what has become typical Fuku fashion.

In the lineup or not, I can't imagine he hits in the two spot tonight. That was shocking to say the lesat.

The Most Offense Kosuke has had Since June

This story comes from Rumors and Rants about how great it is to live in the South. Especially this time of year, a lot of us like to use casual Fridays to support our favorite teams. We break out our Payton jersey, our old student section football tee, or Fukudome jersey tee.

Well, don't even think about bringing that foul language to work in Oklahoma.

And she would occasionally celebrate her casualness by wearing a Kosuke Fukudome t-shirt to work. That is until a couple weeks ago, when an edict came from down from the mountain declaring that the shirt was not appropriate for the workplace. And no, we’re not talking about one of those "Horry Cow" shirts. This is a regular “Fukudome 1″ jersey.

Wow. Good for Oklahoma, cracking down on the smut. If you're a sports fan there, you had better be careful. Maybe your favorite sports gear isn't allowed on casual Friday. For example:

• Your South Carolina Gamecocks shirt.
• Your Rudy Gay jersey.
• Don't even talk about the Oregon State - USC game.
• Your Dick Trickle Nascar stuff is okay. They get it.
• No materials relating to anyone on this list.

Feel free to add your own in the comments.

Today's Links

• Kosuke has been relegated to defensive replacement. He wasn't even in the lefty heavy lineup on Monday.
• Top ten Chicago baseball surprises. This is a great top ten list. Also top ten Chicago no-hitters. That one is a little obscure for most of the list, but still interesting.
  
• Cubs win. Magic number is down to 4. "We are on the cusp of history every single night". A little dramatic, but it is an exciting time to be a Cubs fan. Oh, and C.C. Sabathia takes his first loss in the NL. Boo-hoo.
  
• So how badly is Hester injured? Will he play next week? In two weeks? Ever? We'll find out at the press conference today.
• Do some Cubs want to have a new ballpark? It was a good time at Miller, that's for sure.
• Konerko's return was a huge boost for the White Sox. This guy is great. White Sox won by the way.
• More Bears post-game notes. Kevin Payne had a great game.
  
• Pinella and Hendry in line for extensions? They definitely look like they've earned it right now.
• As Ron Santo always says in those Cubs commercials: "This is the year!!". Could it be the year for him to get into the Hall of Fame? Statistically he is better than half of the third basemen that are already in. We'll see.
  

Today's Links--Fukudome Effect Edition

• The Fukudome Effect on the Cubs has been astronomical, according to one fan's analysis. I don't know how much this impact can be attributed to Kosuke, but either way the numbers are interesting.
• Good riddance to Jay Mariotti. You will not be missed. In fact, I would punch you in the face if I saw you walking down the street.
  
• As Bob Brenly said "The play of the game was when Geovanny Soto put on his uniform." Soto had 7 RBIs to lead the cubs to a 14-9 win.
  
• Joe Crede is back (double meaning there, get it..."back"). Anyways, if he can swing the stick with the kind of power he had before the injury, this is good news for Sox fans.
  
• Barack Obama thinks Sox fans are better than Cubs fans. And get this, he would pick Walter Payton to be his VP if he were to pick an athlete. (Update sent in from Gavin: D-Lee agrees)
  
• The Ricky Manning Jr. era ends in Chicago. It was expensive and overrated.
• Sox beat Orioles. Floyd gets all the help he needs. Isn't it great when the bats and the pitching are sharp?
• Theriot is awesome. This article told me so.
  

Cubs Fun With Urban Dictionary

I don't know if all NQTC readers are familiar with the site Urban Dictionary, but its a great website. It is basically like wikipedia in that it is user generated, but the difference is it is for slang or "urban" words. Anyways, I decided to see how people "defined" certain Cubs players, and I found some pretty funny ones. My favorite part is the italics, where the word is used in a sentence. Enjoy.




A. Carlos Zambrano:

1. Pitcher for the Chicago Cubs. Know for Tantrums, Sky-Pointing, Bat-Breaking, glasses-making, Out-Striking, Instant Messaging-related injuries, Manliness, and being the Hugo Chavez of Baseball.

2. anyone who is known for being a Beast and/or eating sharp/jagged objects such as Nails or Broken Glass Glass

Wow! That guy broke a bat on his knee and ate it; he is such a Carlos Zambrano.

B. Theriot

A purple-yellow colored turd occasionally containing blood.

Look at that theriot in the toilet Calvin left.

And of course...

C. Fukudome

An Asian baseball player for the Cubs....said to be crazier than Chuck Norris this son-of-a-B will fuck some bitches up..People often say Fuck u....Do me

Fukudome hit a homerun with his dick.

Thank you Urban Dictionary, for hours of endless fun. Fukudome is going to go Zambrano on your ass and make you look like a little piece of Theriot. People should read this site to help their vocab for SAT prep. No doubt about it.

Today's Links

• White Sox win, Vazquez goes 8 shutout innings with 10 k's. When he's good he's good. Sox are gonna need it with Contreras all gimped out.
  
• Hilarious pictures of Cubs fans. Embarassingly hilarious.
  
• Soriano knows Japanese, and he's going to talk to Fukudome about consistency. Uh-oh.
  
• This Beekman guy is filling in nicely at guard for the Bears. We could use some pleasant surprises.
• Interview with Luol Deng. Not really about basketball, but its still interesting.
• Cubs Game rained out last night. Doubleheader today!
• Iguodala signs for 80 million. The Deng deal looks pretty good now. BG has got to be pissed though, he's the only "premier" restricted free agent left unsigned.
  

Today's Links

• Danks is going to no hit the BoSox!!! White Sox lose?
  
• I guess this Fukudome thing is a story.
• Jayson Stark of ESPN thinks Carlos Quentin should win the MVP. The way he's hitting, I agree. The guy is a great story.
• Some Bears fans think we should go out and get Chris Simms. A third below average quarterback? How many third-string qbs can we legally carry on the roster?
• I have to mention the Olympics. Michael Phelps is sick. That world record was @#$%ed before the race even started. (It was HIS old record, by the way. Sick.)