Lou Not Making Much Sense On Felix, OF

After telling Felix Pie that when he was a ball player he had to walk uphill in three feet of snow both ways, Lou Piniella gave this explanation of why Pie is a worse option than a Jim Edmonds/Reed Johnson platoon:

Piniella said Pie has to "be ready" to succeed on every day, not just once in a while. "I played in the minor leagues six full seasons before I got to the big leagues," he said. "But when I got there, I stayed for 17 years. That's what you have to look at. You can't look at the short haul. … Some kids develop and learn their skills a little later than others, and you have to be patient with them. But at the same time, we're not in a rebuilding situation here."

OK, Lou, we'll play along.

Lou's Rookie Year

In your rookie year, you played in 29 of your team's first 31 games and 62 of the first 67. Here's how you fared:

After 15 games, you were hitting .234 with an OBP of .296. Eegads! Lou, did you come to the park ready to succeed every day - and not just once in a while? If so, your 3-for-20 slump in mid-April does not demonstrate that readiness to succeed.

After 38 games, you were hitting .260 with an OBP of .297. Lou, were you still coming to the park ready to succeed every day - and not just once in a while? If so, your 2-for-18 slump in the week leading up game 38 does not demonstrate that readiness to succeed.

But, Lou, you got your average up to .303 by mid-July and has high as .293 in September. Because you came to the park ready to succeed every day. And because your manager stuck by you, wrote your name on the lineup card every day and LET YOU PLAY FREAKING BASEBALL, giving you the opportunity to succeed.

Felix's Rookie Year

Now, Lou, let's take a peek at how Felix has been handled in his young career:

After 15 games of playing more or less every day in his rookie year of 2007, Felix Pie was hitting .229 (.005 lower than Lou after his first 15 games) with an anemic OBP of .245. Days later, that earned him a month-long demotion to Iowa - presumably because he wasn't coming to the park ready to succeed every day. Only once in a while. Unlike Lou.

After coming back, Felix quickly raised his average to .287 (with a .318 OBP) after seven consecutive starts in early June. Those numbers slid considerably (.227/.275) with a 6 for 48 slump over the next two weeks, earning Pie a week of pinch hitting duties followed by a trip back to Iowa.

Pie returned to the Cubs August 8, started four straight games and then did not start consecutive games the remainder of the season.

In short, he was demoted twice after two bad weeks of baseball.

Felix - Year Two

Felix has started consecutive games on the following occasions:

March 31-April 4 (four games)
April 29-30 (two games)
May 5-7 (three games)

That's it.

So, Lou, instead of yanking Felix around day after day and playing him behind Reed Johnson - who is not appreciably better at baseball than Lyndon Johnson, at this point - why not put him in a situation where he is not constantly looking over his shoulder, wondering which over-the-hill center fielder you are going to bring in to take his job?

Do you and Doughnut Jim truly, truly believe that a platoon of Johnson and Edmonds will perform better - offensively, defensively - than Felix Pie? Really?

Operation Seans: Phase "Stay in Rotation, Charlie Brown"

Operation Seans is firmly taking hold in the Cubs clubhouse, as Rotoworld is reporting that Sean Gallagher will keep his rotation spot for the forseable future.

The next phase in Operation Seans is Phase "Marquis Disposal," which could happen any day now. We can hope, right?

Lou, I know you read this. You're a good man.

Commence Operation Seans

As WV posted earlier, Jon Lieber's second term as a starting pitcher with the Cubs has ended a mere 49 pitches, 7 hits and 5 earned runs after it began in Cincinnati. And, rightfully so.

Therefore, with Dick Mountain in timeout in Des Moines, I hereby demand that Lou commence Operation Seans. What is Operation Seans? It's a cheap and obvious way to temporarily or permanently help the rotation by tossing out trash like Jason Marquis and Jon Lieber to the farm, where all the other terrible pitchers are set free to play with one another and live happily ever after, and inserting Sean Marshall and Sean Gallagher into their rotation spots.

I am by no means panicking. My Lord, it's only game 33. May 7th...May 7th!!! The Cubs have the sixth best record in the bigs before today's game (at the moment, it's 7-0, Reds). However, the rotation does need help behind Carlos. Operation Seans may be just the ticket. Who knows? Maybe it's the ticket.

UPDATE: Sean Marshall came in and gave up 2 H, 2 ER and 3 BB in 2.0 innings of relief of Jon Lieber. Operation Seans is by no means perfect. Just better than the current Operation Terrible Pitching. Sean Gallagher relieved Marshall and got three outs with 15 pitches.

UPDATE 2.0: Sean Gallagher has given up 2 ER on 4 H and 1 BB (1 K as well) through 2.0 innings. Maybe today is just a bad day to be a Cubs pitcher. I will remain steadfastly behind Operation Seans.

Free Felix Update: "Nothing's Indefinitely"

As only Lou could put it.

In accordance with our new official Wrigleyville23.com policy, Felix Pie should be granted release from "the bench" and welcomed back into "the lineup."

Great catch by Pie last night, by the way.

Lee Elia, Call Your Office

Just when Alfonso Soriano and Lou Piniella debates threaten to ruin all that is pure in the world, Ozzie Guillen comes along to remind us that lineup critiques and crazy managers are not solely restricted to Chicago's north side:

"Right now everyone in Chicago is making lineups -- 'Call up this guy, call up that guy.' ... If we had 50 people allowed on the roster, we could do that. That's what ticks me off about Chicago fans and Chicago media: They forget pretty quickly. A couple of days ago we were the [bleeping] best [stuff] in town. Now we're [bleep]," Guillen said to the aforementioned Chicago media before the game.

Guillen observed that Chicago still loved the Cubs, even though they have not won a World Series since 1908, but the White Sox -- winners of the 2005 World Series -- did not receive the same affectionate support.

"We won it a couple years ago, and we're horse[bleep]," Guillen said, according to the Chicago Tribune. "The Cubs haven't won in [100] years, and they're the [bleeping] best. [Bleep] it, we're good. [Bleep] everybody. We're horse[bleep], and we're going to be horse[bleep] the rest of our lives, no matter how many World Series we win.

"We are the [bleep] of Chicago. We're the Chicago [bleep]. We have the worst owner [Jerry Reinsdorf]. The guy's got seven [bleeping] rings, and he's the [bleeping] horse[bleep] owner."

Good times.

Fridays with Dusty: Yes, Lou, You Are Stupid. Did I Stutter?

"You damn right I thought about it. You think I'm stupid or something." - Lou Piniella, Washington Post (and certainly many other newspapers today), when asked why he didn't pull Alfonso Soriano late in yesterday's game. Alfonso promptly misplayed a ball that helped blow a Cubs lead and lose a series.

Lou's comment is analogous to the old saying: "It's one thing to be thought a fool, and another to open one's mouth and remove all doubt."

Lou, you are stupid, always have been as a strategist. (What are you keeping Soriano in for -- his sterling 0-4 day at the plate and Buck-80 batting average in the leadoff spot?) What you're good at is screaming and yelling and kicking and creating tension so that players play on edge. That seems to work for you. And you've been around the game long enough to have just enough sense not to screw up too much on the strategy end. But it is in stark contrast to the cool, collected and successful Dusty Baker. Clearly that's what the Cubs wanted -- a screamer and a yeller, not someone in the Bob Melvin mode.

Dusty, for the record, always got Alou the hell out of there at the end of a close game.

Again, a contrast in styles: Lou, thinks about something, doesn't do it, then screams and yells at others afterwards. Because nothing is ever his fault. Fine. Keeps everyone on edge. Works for him to some extent.

Dusty, thinks about something, does it, and lives with the consequences. He man's up to his bads. And did so with $300 million less in talent on the field.

Actually, the uneasy Lou-Soriano relationship -- which bore itself out yesterday in a bad non-move -- was eerily similar to last night's episode of The Office. Lou is clearly afraid of Alfonso and confronting him, just as Michael is of Stanley. A Buck-80 in the lead-off spot? And many bloggers here moan about Theriot there? Come on. Soriano does not belong in the leadoff spot. He's a No. 3 in his best dreams; a No. 5 hitter with any team with a manager with any balls. Especially now that his legs are going. The 3-4-5 should be Lee, Ramirez, Soriano. But for whatever reason, ranting and raving Lou won't take on Alfonso. You can understand why the Nats wouldn't (and HOF Frank); they needed to fill the stands and keep him smiling.

But one reason we supposedly brought Lou in here was to kick some butt, not be a "players manager" and get players to do things that are best for the team. Lou's not doing that with Alfonso. Until Lou does, he will hereby be known in this blogger's post as "Michael Scott."

Dusty would have removed Alfonso. And Dusty would have gotten Alfonso into the 5 spot where he belongs -- with a smile on his face. But, Hang-'Em-Out Hendry, didn't go get Dusty an Alfonso, now did he? He got him a Murton. Though, right now, there's not much difference between the two.



PS: Nutsack, sorry to glom onto the same quote from your post....but had this working since reading the Post this morning.

I Do Not Think Lou's Stupid, or Something

Further proof that I adore Lou Piniella.

Look, yesterday sucked pretty hard. The Cubs staked Carlos a 2-run lead against a pretty good pitcher in Gallardo. Carlos Marmol came in and dominated, as usual. Kerry Wood blew a two-run lead and lost the game. I hate it just as much as you do.

I know, I know...Ryan Dempster only blew three saves all year last year and Wood has three through 31 games. He actually blew this lead against the bottom of the Brewers lineup, which features the Ned Yost Pitcher-Hitting-Eigth Specialty (even thought that spot was probably already subbed by a PH--semantics). I still have faith in Kerry, and I'm pretty sick of the alarmists that are clamoring for him to be assassinated (like I saw in the HJE SBox yesterday afternoon).

What I do sorta hate is that Lou left Alfonso Soriano in the game instead of having a Reed Johnson/Felix Pie outfield. Soriano supposedly (I didn't watch the game because I don't have that fancy TeeVee moving image box thingy at my office like some people) didn't react well to the ball hit over his head by Gabe Kapler, but who's to say that Reed wouldn't have reacted the same way? Regardless, it was a puzzling move to leave Alf in the game with a lead, especially with Soriano coming off a leg injury in his first game back. What would I have done? Well, my only MLB experience comes via the XBOX 360, however, I would have probably subbed Felix for Soriano and moved Reed to LF.

The Cubs are 17-11. That's not terrible, folks. We're only through 31 games and the Cubs have a big series upcoming against the Cardinals who are inexplainably (I bet that's not a word) in first place. Relax, have a beer and get ready for some good weekend baseball. Hopefully.

P.S., Fukudome was 4 for 4 with two outfield assistsesses at home. His OBP has to be close to infinity (actually .455). He should be hitting second. Alfonso should be hitting fifth. At the very least, Lou should swap Reed and Theriot. Also, Geo Soto is a stud.

Stupid Fan Tricks

The throwing of home run balls back on to the field long ago grew tiresome. Now this:

CHICAGO – Throwing an opponent’s home run ball back onto the field has long been a tradition for Chicago Cubs fans. But how about 15 balls flying back onto the grass at Wrigley Field?

That’s what happened Wednesday night after Cincinnati’s Adam Dunn homered in the eighth inning. Most of the souvenirs wound up in right field, although the ball shower came from all angles and briefly held up the game. The Cubs were leading 11-3 at the time.

“That’s something I hadn’t seen before. I don’t know what to say. It stopped, and a few more came in,” Cubs manager Lou Piniella said before Thursday’s game against the Reds.

Update: That said, the reaction referenced in the comments is just ridiculous.

Lou Contemplates Red Bull

Probably best that he avoids it altogether.

Why Don't You Just Pull 'Em Out of a Hat, Lou?

So, I hear Lou's putting Soriano back in the leadoff spot after a paltry two-game stretch with Theriot and Alf hitting one-two. I can't blame him for wanting a change, but if we're going back to Soriano leading off then I ain't buyin'.

We've been through it all before and I won't even bother linking to the old posts. There are those folks who like Soriano in the leadoff spot and I can't completely blame them for that opinion. Hell, we actually won the division with that configuration last season, allbeit by the skins of our teeth. There are also those who believe that lineup configuration means nothing...the irrefutable laws of mathemagics don't apply when it comes to filling out a line up card. To that, I say "psh." If that were true, then by all means we should let Ramirez and Lee lead off and hit the pitcher 5th, throw those numbers in the flux capacitor and see what happens.

The fact is that Theriot, no matter how much I adore his LSUness, is not very good. He's adequate and can fill in, but he is our worst hitter (statistically) and should hit 8th. He does have a good eye and can put the ball in play, which will serve to at least turn the lineup over to our better hitters.

Our best batting eyes are DeRosa and Fukudome. They should lead off, respectively, followed by Lee, Ramirez, Soriano, Soto, Pie and Theriot. I know, I know...the 2B should hit first and that Asian kid would clog too many bases and there's no righty-lefty balance. That's the kind of lineup shennanigans that don't make logical sense to me.

I know it's just game two in this 162-game marathon of a season. However, it's apparent that what's been tried thus far isn't going to work. But, what do I know? I'm not making millions of dollars managing an MLB clubhouse. Which is why it's so easy to step outside the box and scrutinize. I have confidence that Lou will make necessary changes. And, if his current experiment, which was tried and somewhat true, begins to pay dividends, then by all means...as you were, Lou.

The Cubs In Wonderland

When asked two weeks ago if Alfonso Soriano would "ever" bat leadoff again, Lou Piniella said:

"Not right now, no," Piniella said. "With the cold weather in Chicago, taking away that responsibility where he has to run, run, run, that's a recipie where we're looking for problems. We'll keep Theriot in the No. 1 hole."

We were of course skeptical - and predicted this would change by April 21, when Soriano would be moved back into the leadoff spot. Instead, it took just two games:

"It's something I've been thinking about since the end of Spring Training, and we'll go with it," Piniella said. "Soriano is running better. We'll put him in the leadoff hole, where he's more comfortable, and let him hit there."

If the Season Ended Today...

...the Pirates would be co-champions. I know that could never happen, the co-champion and Pirates part, but you get my drift.

Back away from the ledge. Relax. We may agree that Marmol is the best reliever we have, but Wood's merely a one-inning pitcher these days and I think he'll be good in the closer's role. We have a really good bullpen. Yesterday's performance was a farce. Wuertz, Marmol, Howry and Wood are downright scary, and you know it.

One thing I do take exception with is Fukudome in the fifth spot. Ken Rosenthal seems to believe that Fukakke's debut in yesterday's game is the be-all, end-all for Lou's lineup agonies. As mentioned here, the top of the lineup was pretty pitiful. I think DeRosa and Fukudome need to be at the top of the lineup. Theriot needs to hit eighth. However, we can make our own encarnations of Lou's lineup, but he'll do what he'll do no matter.

The point is this: it's finally baseball season. Even though it's poo nasty outside in Chicago and the ivy won't bloom until mid-May, the Cubs are poised to do work this season. Do work, indeed. And, at least we're not the Pirates.

Soriano, Leading Off & You Wanna Bet?

From Cubs.com:

So, will Soriano ever lead off again for the Cubs?

"Not right now, no," Piniella said. "With the cold weather in Chicago, taking away that responsibility where he has to run, run, run, that's a recipie where we're looking for problems. We'll keep Theriot in the No. 1 hole."

To recap: Will Soriano ever lead off again? Not right now, no.

So maybe some day? I've got April 21 against the Mets.

This Is All Nutsack's Fault

I'm sorry, Kerry. I warned Nutsack not to get all cocky, but he wouldn't stop. And now you're broken.

Lou tries (and fails) to make us feel better about Kerry Wood's latest malady:

"It's a little bit of a setback but nothing, nothing serious," Cubs manager Lou Piniella said Wednesday. "It's a minor thing he goes through every spring."

You see, Lou, the "minor thing he goes through every spring" is no minor thing.

Kicking the Dead Horse

I know Maddog, WV and I have been through this once before, but in a Paul Sullivan article from ChicagoSports.com, Lou reveals his Opening Day Roster as such:

1. SS, Ryan Theriot

2. LF, Alfonso Soriano RF, Kosuke Fukudome

3. 1B, Derrek Lee

4. 3B, Aramis Ramirez

5. RF, Kosuke Fukudome LF, Alfonso Soriano

6. 2B, Mark DeRosa

7. C, Geovany Soto

8. CF, Felix Pie

Everybody's got grand ideas about the Cubs' lineup (my modest modifications in red), and Dolan has the best so far. Granted, a lot of this is premature given the distinct possibility of Brian Roberts getting his pinstripes. However, that notwithstanding, I don't for the life of me understand what the fascination is with hitting Soriano second. You all know where I stand on the lineup, and although Lou's demanding that Theriot lead off, I hope he seriously gives consideration to swapping Soriano and Fukudome in this lineup.

At least we can all take solice in the fact that our manager is Lou Piniella, who'll have no problem correcting the lineup, and not some Dustbag who advocates the unclogging of bases for "swinging the bat more." Asshat.

Creating Lineups is Hard: Redux

Just ask Lou. It's been documented here, here and here that Lou plans on "trying out" a lineup in which Ryan Theriot will supplant Alfonso Soriano in the leadoff spot, moving Sori down to the two-hole. I sincerely hope "trying out" isn't the same as being "a little bit pregnant" or "just the tip."

I've seen many rants about this and unfortunately I am too lazy to read them all. So, I've been thinking about putting myself in Lou's shoes for a tick just to play devil's advocate. And, I like the way Lou's shoes smell. Here's the lineup I came up with After removing my LSU sunglasses, and with the help of a few friends, here's the new and improved (with 50% less fat!) lineup:

1. SS, Ryan Theriot LF, Alfonso Soriano

2. RF, Kosuke Fukudome

3. 1B, Derrek Lee

4. 3B, Aramis Ramirez

5. LF, Alfonso Soriano 2B, Mark DeRosa

6. 2B, Mark DeRosa C, Geovany Soto

7. C, Geovany Soto CF, Felix Pie

8. CF, Felix Pie SS, Ryan Theriot

9. P, Pitcher

Now, my thought behind this configuration is this: Ryan Theriot's career batting stats in the leadoff spot (170 PAs) produce a line of .289/.329/.409. Furthermore, in the second spot (still at the top of the lineup, however not the same as leadoff, I know) his line in 445 PAs is .284/.353/.386. This makes me think that he belongs at the top of the lineup.

Keep in mind that he's the best option at SS right now, so we're stuck with him. Kosuke is, from what limited action I've seen of him at the plate, a patient contact hitter himself with more power than Theriot. He draws many, many walks and his base-clogging antics will certainly help drive DLee's and Aramis's RBI totals upward. If you're going to quit baby-fying Soriano and remove him from his "comfort zone," you might as well place him in an RBI situation in the middle of the lineup.

I've thought about making (as if I actually have a say in this) Fukakke and DeRosa interchangeable. If Kosuke begins to drive the ball, I'd rather his bat in the sixth spot and allow DeRosa to hit second.

Please, your thoughts are welcome...so leave them in the comments. Note that if the Brian Roberts trade gets done, Roberts moves into the leadoff spot, Theriot to the bench, and the Mark DeRosa-at-Shortstop Experiment begins.

Stupid Is As Stupid Does

Is the honeymoon over for Lou and Cubs fans? For the non-Ryan Theriot-loving contingent, yes. And yes.

Lou Piniella Is A Genius

How else to explain it? He moves Fukudome from third to second in the batting order and he goes 3-for-3 with a homer. Clearly causal.

Then again, the Cubs lost. But whatever.

An Ultimatum Gone Wrong

LOHO has the rundown on one of the worst ultimatums ever issued by anyone anywhere about anything: Jason Marquis says he will take his (starting) services elsewhere if he doesn't make the rotation for the Cubs.

Lou responded thusly:

"Well, if that's the case, he can go somewhere else," Piniella said. "Win a spot in the rotation, you don't have to worry about it. ... I've got seven starters here for five spots, you know? It's a little bit too early to start talking about what he wants to do or not do."

Yeah. What he said.

Though there is a nice place he could take his starting services. They need a $7 million starter to bolster their rotation.

DeRosa Taken To Hospital ...

... with an irregular heartbeat. Girl-type Cubs fans set up creepy vigil.

Lou says he's "doing fine" but a "little nervous."

Update: Good news. He's out.