The big trade

Okay. Big deal. We got a couple of lefties for Hart and nobody. I think Grabow helps this year, somewhat, and I think Gorzelanny has a lot of promise. He did win 14 for an exceptionally shitty Pirate team in 07. Plus when he's on the team, it gives us four pitchers with the letter Z in their name -- which might lead the league in that category. Or not. Dave would know.

We also have four players whose last name could also be a first name. That may or may not lead the league. Dave would know. Five if you count Ted Lilly, although I don't know anyone named Lilly with the extra "l".

I wonder if Adam Dunn is available? The Nats are out of it. Probably not.

Nice to see back to back boxcars -- can't remember the last time we scored runs like that. Even Milkit had back to back one rbi games, which for him is a floodgate of run production.

Now that the Red Sox has been forever tainted with steroid scandal, I am shocked. Who would have thought that David Ortiz -- after being released by the Twins -- was juicing when he magically starting hitting 40 bombs a year? Stunned, I am. And I thought it was extra time in the cage. He did it right, though. He gained 140 pounds so you wouldn't notice the extraordinary size of his melon.

I say let them all juice. Let pitchers doctor the ball, too. What the fuck? Why not?

And I propose a newer "winner take all" rule for baseball. You negotiate your contract. Whatever it is. Fine. But then it gets broken down to a "per game" salary. And that is how you are paid. After the game -- just like in the old days. The owner comes in and hands you a check. Unless the team loses, in which case they get nothing. Only the winners get paid. Maybe then we'd see some better baseball. More intense, anyhow.

Whatever. Now I'm just rambling. See what happens when I blog with nothing particular in mind?

Sherm

Yesterday

First of all, I wrote a long fucking rant yesterday and then it didn't post properly or save. So I said, "fuck it" and went back to work. You can't recreate it the way it was the first time. Plus, I didn't want to.

Here's a point I want to make though. In the midst of all the giddiness...yes, the Cubs are back in the hunt. Half a game back. Playing better. Still. Check this out:

> Milkit Badly: hitting .250 with 7 homers and 25 rbi's.

> Mark DeRosa: hitting .263 with 19 homers and 60 rbi's.

> Adam Dunn: hitting .279 with 26 homers and 74 rbi's.

What's that, Dave? Average and homers and rbi's don't tell the story? How's this?

> Milkit Badly: OBP of .385 and OPS of .766

> Mark DeRosa: OBP of .332 and OPS of .807

> Adam Dunn: OBP of .409 and OPS of .969

But we needed to be more left handed. Wait. Dunn is left handed.

Ergo, I can't fucking figure out this last postseason at all. Not at all. Those...the dealing of DeRosa (have you noticed our NONPRODUCTION at 2b this year?) and the non-acquisition of Dunn (in favor of the Badly signing) make absolutely no sense.

I get selling Marquis. I get trading Wuertz and some of the other deals. Not those. Not a bit.

What a different team this would be. I'll say we'd be 6 games up right now with those two all year...even with our injury issues. Maybe more.

Oh, by the way...the Phillies picked up Cliff Lee for nothing. Not that we were in the hunt for a starter, but a Cy Young level lefty might not have hurt.

Oh, by the fucking way...the Giants got Freddie Sanchez for a prospect. (See lack of production from 2b comment earlier if you don't know why this pisses me off.) And Sanchez hits about .600 in Wrigley, doesn't he? Or does it just seem that way?

Where is Jim Hendry in all this? Are his hands that tied by the ownership issue that he can't make any deals? If so, we're fucked. Again. What's next? Halladay to the Cardinals? Ichiro to the Brewers?

Fuck.

More later. Much later. Or not.

JS

All Star Break Rant

Fuck the All Star break. I hate it. I'm glad that every Cub got to rest.

I'm glad that the American League won -- especially if the World Series ends up being the Cubs and the Angels and if it goes seven games -- because then I can see four games in person in AnaAngeles. Or Los Anaheim. Whatever. Maybe I can even get to Wrigley for one. That'd be good. I would not hate that.

I did not watch the game, because I did not give a shit.

Here's a question for you guys. I may have an opportunity to throw out the first pitch at a Pirate Game in August (against the Cardinals) -- one of the companies I work with made a donation and bought a shitload of seats for this game...so we are in the running (with 14 others) to be drawn for this "honor." If drawn, they said they'd let me do it. I'm perhaps the only one who could get the ball to all the way to the catcher. Whatever. I'm 50 now. Maybe not.

Here's the question: If selected -- do I wear a Cub jersey and hat?

Sherm

Tired of Soriano

I am completely tired of this guy's act. I didn't see tonight's game, but I "watched" it on my phone while at the airport -- you know what I mean...pitch by pitch. Here's what I "saw" and it thoroughly pissed me off. Two singles to start the bottom of the second for the Cubs. Soriano fucking whiffs, because that's what he does when it matters. Fontenot flies out. I assume this could have been a sac fly had Sorryass moved the runners over. Hill singles. Should be two runs right there. 2, not one. Oh, by the way...and then we don't lose 2 - 1. Maybe we still lose. But not 2 - 1.

I don't know the repercussions, and I'm too tired to look them up -- but DFA the turd and let Sam Fuld be our everyday left fielder. I don't care about the money. We're throwing it away anyhow.

In fact, jetsam Soriano and Bradley and let Hoffpauir and Fox and Fuld play...a lot. Save a fortune. Here's my thinking -- I would like the Cubs more if they did that. Like is purely subjective, so don't throw any fucking stats at me, but I'd like this team more without Bradley and Soriano on it. I'm sorry if that makes me a bad Cub fan, but that's how I feel. I can't stand either of those guys and it pisses me off as a long time Cub fan to have to suffer them at all...much less suffer through their shitty seasons. There. I said it. I want players on the team that I can like.

And I don't like those two. Not a bit.

More later. Or not.

Sherm

I figured it out

This is a non baseball post...but you may want to read it anyway. Or forward it to Rush Limbaugh. Or Sean Hannity. Because, well, it's genius, and it solves all of our problems. Ready?

I read an article the other day in a money magazine that says that the Federal Gov't is watching what's happening in California like a sideshow. It said what a bad idea that is due to the tremendous amount of manufacturing still done in this state, the tech industries here...blah blah blah. You get the idea. That's when it hit me.

We have this deficit, right? So here's what we do. Sell Northern California to the Chinese. It solves multiple problems. It brings the Chinese manufacturing closer and saves us billions of dollars on ocean freight and duties, thus sparking the economy. It gives jobs to the heavily unemployed population of the state and the illegal population. It balances the budget, especially California's. Imagine the low cost manufacturing right here on this continent.

Negatives? None. The people of Northern California are communists already...so it's a perfect fit. Plus the food is good.

Looking for precedent? Napolean sold Louisiana to pay off debts, didn't he? The Russians sold us Alaska -- same reason. People sell land to pay debt all the time. Governments do, too. Look it up.

So, there you have it. The answer to all our economic problems.

Happy Independence Day to all.

God Bless what's left of America.

Sherm