“I’m talking about hatred, period. I’m talking about when I go to eat at a restaurant. I’ve got to listen to the waiters badmouthing me at another table, sitting in a restaurant. That’s what I’m talking about. Everything.”

You are a tool, Milton Bradley. Fans aren’t booing you because you are black; they are booing you because you are BAD. And not bad as in “baaaaad,” but bad as in you suck.

Sure, you’re starting to hit now, but it’s too little, too late. Read the rest of this entry »

If you are familiar with the excellent work done by The Hardball Times’ Chris Dutton and Peter Bendix, you are likely familiar with their creation of an expected Batting Average on Balls in Play metric (xBABIP).

BABIP—Batting average on balls in play: the rate at which batted balls other than home runs become hits has been mainly used to judge pitchers. That is, until the metric was improved by the creation of xBABIP, which has turned out to be a very strong predictor of future performance. Read the rest of this entry »

While the St. Louis Cardinals have been making moves of late, and the Milwaukee Brewers continue to look for another starter, don’t expect the Cubs to make a big splash at the trade deadline on Friday, July 31.

But don’t fret, Cubs fans. We don’t really need a whole lot of help. In fact, our most pressing needs are to get healthy and to continue to get improved play from the big guns. Read the rest of this entry »

Similar to how that beer commercial talks about the difference being “drinkability,” the main difference between the Cubs and the defending champion Phils is “hittability.”

Yes, there are other differences between the two teams. The Phillies have much more team speed, for example. And they are very successful in picking the right time to steal.

In fact, their stolen base percentage is the best in the National League at 79 percent. The Cubs are last in the NL at just 60 percent. Read the rest of this entry »

Mick Jagger once sang that “It’s only rock-n-roll but I like it.” While he was being tongue-in-cheek, since rock-n-roll has made the Rolling Stones’ singer a multi-millionaire, there is nothing insincere about saying it’s only the Nationals.

For the Washington Nationals are a lousy team, let’s face it. But you know what? The Cubs just swept them.

And I like it. Read the rest of this entry »

I’d like to introduce you to someone. His name is Ryne Sandberg. Yes, that Ryne Sandberg. Yet, no, not that Ryne Sandberg.

For you don’t know this Ryne Sandberg. This Ryno is charging, my friends.

Ryne Sandberg, who seldom, if ever, had a thought as a Cubs player, seems to really have found his personality since ending his playing days. Read the rest of this entry »

Tribune Co. has reached a deal to sell the Chicago Cubs and Wrigley Field to the Ricketts family, according to ESPN Chicago.

The two sides reached a sale agreement over the weekend and have forwarded the contract to Major League Baseball, according to the report. Read the rest of this entry »

Dear Derrek Lee,

Many times on this very site I have either called for you to be traded or have expressed frustration with both your inability to hit for power as well as your seemingly nonchalant attitude.

I have said that you were indifferent; that you were sleeping through at-bats that never even came close to the numbers you displayed in 2005, when you hit .335, with 46 homers and 107 RBI. Read the rest of this entry »

Cubs catcher Geovany Soto tested positive for marijuana at the WBC

Let me start by saying that in my world, this is not that big a deal. Yes, the drug is illegal, but to me, it is relatively harmless, especially when compared with harder drugs.

Still, I found Geo’s explanation that this was “an isolated incident” to be borderline ridiculous. Read the rest of this entry »

Bleed Cubbie Blue has a reference to an unknown person who dubbed the 1978 Cubs as having a “Rush Street Offense”—i.e., “lots of singles, no action”.

That year, the Cubs remained in contention into September despite an offense that produced only 72 home runs.

Dave Kingman led the way with 28, but no one else ended in double digits (Bobby Murcer hit only 9 after having hit 27 the year prior). Read the rest of this entry »