Firstdibz.com is allowing people to buy the rights to purchase playoff tickets at face value - acting as an intermediary between ticketholders (season ticketholders) and purchasers.
Essentially, you pay upfront and agree to buy, at face value, the playoff tickets....if that comes to pass. If there is no playoff game, then you lose your initial expense and, obviously, don't have to pay for tickets that don't exist.
At a glance, it looks like it would be cheaper than waiting and paying market value on the tickets if the Cubs get that far. The risk could be worth it if you really want to go (or really, really believe).
Monday, July 21, 2008
Finally!
The Cubs finally get one in Houston after a rocky start to the second half of the season. Better still, Dempster got a victory at home. Dempster pitched 8 innings of shutout baseball, striking out 7 and walking one on his way to his first win away from Wrigley this year and his first since June 2, 2006.
At the plate, the Cubs put up 9 runs, a big improvement over the anemic offense in the first two games of the series (2 runs total). Theriot went 3 for 5 with a run and 2 RBIs. Fontenot went 3 for 4 with 3 runs and 3 RBIs. It was also good to see Fukudome do a little damage with two doubles and two runs scored.
I would like to see them follow this up by tagging Randy Johnson (12-0 in 13 starts against the Cubs) with a loss out in Arizona tonight, notching consecutive road wins for the fist time since June 14-15 against the Blue Jays, and getting Rich Harden his first Cubbie win after the debacle in his last start.
On the injury front, Soriano is going to start a rehab stint tonight in Arizona. I don't expect him to play tonight for the big club as Piniella was musing and maybe not even on Tuesday. He will surely be ready to go on Wednesday with lefty Doug Davis scheduled to start for Arizona. Eyre is not going to the minors, but will stay and throw bullpen sessions until the team removes him from the DL. Kerry Wood's blister remains an issue and he should go on the DL; however, he hasn't pitched since July 11 and his DL stint would be back-dated, allowing his return as early as Sunday.
This could be the perfect opportunity to have Marmol regain some confidence in a brief stint at closer while Kerry sorts out his finger problem. I'm always more of a fan of sink-or-swim approaches and I think the All-Star performance by Marmol definitely put him back on track. A brief role as closer could be just the thing he needs to keep that going. Not to mention there is very little pressure, since Wood will be right back and Marmol would just be filling in for a set time.
With the division race getting tighter (Cards 2 games back, Milwaukee 3 back), the Cubs can't afford to stumble in the July-August doldrums. The Brewers are riding high with Sabathia (3-0 for the Brewers and singing a mean bat to boot!) and just added veteran second baseman Ray Durham. And don't expect the Cards to stand down, especially with a potential return for Carpenter at some point and a happy clubhouse. The two teams duke it out for a 4-game set starting today in St. Louis. Let's hope they wear each other out.
At the plate, the Cubs put up 9 runs, a big improvement over the anemic offense in the first two games of the series (2 runs total). Theriot went 3 for 5 with a run and 2 RBIs. Fontenot went 3 for 4 with 3 runs and 3 RBIs. It was also good to see Fukudome do a little damage with two doubles and two runs scored.
I would like to see them follow this up by tagging Randy Johnson (12-0 in 13 starts against the Cubs) with a loss out in Arizona tonight, notching consecutive road wins for the fist time since June 14-15 against the Blue Jays, and getting Rich Harden his first Cubbie win after the debacle in his last start.
On the injury front, Soriano is going to start a rehab stint tonight in Arizona. I don't expect him to play tonight for the big club as Piniella was musing and maybe not even on Tuesday. He will surely be ready to go on Wednesday with lefty Doug Davis scheduled to start for Arizona. Eyre is not going to the minors, but will stay and throw bullpen sessions until the team removes him from the DL. Kerry Wood's blister remains an issue and he should go on the DL; however, he hasn't pitched since July 11 and his DL stint would be back-dated, allowing his return as early as Sunday.
This could be the perfect opportunity to have Marmol regain some confidence in a brief stint at closer while Kerry sorts out his finger problem. I'm always more of a fan of sink-or-swim approaches and I think the All-Star performance by Marmol definitely put him back on track. A brief role as closer could be just the thing he needs to keep that going. Not to mention there is very little pressure, since Wood will be right back and Marmol would just be filling in for a set time.
With the division race getting tighter (Cards 2 games back, Milwaukee 3 back), the Cubs can't afford to stumble in the July-August doldrums. The Brewers are riding high with Sabathia (3-0 for the Brewers and singing a mean bat to boot!) and just added veteran second baseman Ray Durham. And don't expect the Cards to stand down, especially with a potential return for Carpenter at some point and a happy clubhouse. The two teams duke it out for a 4-game set starting today in St. Louis. Let's hope they wear each other out.
Thursday, July 17, 2008
Edmonds got hitched
Apparently, Jim Edmonds and his girlfriend got married Tuesday afternoon in suburban St. Louis.
I gather it was an extemely casual, county courthouse sort of event.
Hopefully, he doesn't have the kind of marital "bliss" that other notables have had.
The mug shot with this story still makes me laugh.
I gather it was an extemely casual, county courthouse sort of event.
Hopefully, he doesn't have the kind of marital "bliss" that other notables have had.
The mug shot with this story still makes me laugh.
Mid-Season Report
Firstly, hell of an All-Star Game. Too bad it decided home field for the World Series. I heard Selig explaining the reasoning behind this on ESPN's Mike and Mike radio show, but I don't give a rat's ass. It can be worked out. I would rather have the equally inane every other year scenario that they used to use than to have the All-Star Game be the determining factor. The players don't like it, Bud. You can gloss over that fact all you want, but it speaks volumes.
Now, as for mid-season grades on the Cubs, I'm not going to do any. I was, but it turns out that (1) I'm lazy; (2) I have crap loads of work to do and (3) I don't really feel like it needs doing.
What I have to say about the Cubs first half is that things worked out despite things not working out. There were some gaffes, some injuries and some moves, but, by and large, the Cubs looked like a strong contender while cruising into the break tied for the best record in baseball. You really can't argue with that. They accomplished what they needed to and are poised to make a good run toward the playoffs. Hendry added an ace to the staff, Big Z is looking good again, Dempster made a successful switch to starter, Wood made a successful switch to closer and most of the if's turned out to be solid contributors to complete team success.
Now, the things we are watching out for are Harden's health, Soriano's return, Fukudome's tiredness, Edmonds' legs, Dempster's fatigue level and Wood's arm.
However, the most pressing thing on my mind is the team's failure to look as good away from Wrigley as they should. This team just hasn't performed up to a "league's best record" type of team when they are on the road. They have to fix this. Dempster will break through eventually, Harden will help, as will Soriano's return , but it's not really any particular letdown that is causing this. The whole club plays a little listlessly on the road. I love the way they look at Wrigley, but they have to translate that to some big away wins. Especially now that the All-Star Game has dictated where a potential Cub World Series will play out.
Now, as for mid-season grades on the Cubs, I'm not going to do any. I was, but it turns out that (1) I'm lazy; (2) I have crap loads of work to do and (3) I don't really feel like it needs doing.
What I have to say about the Cubs first half is that things worked out despite things not working out. There were some gaffes, some injuries and some moves, but, by and large, the Cubs looked like a strong contender while cruising into the break tied for the best record in baseball. You really can't argue with that. They accomplished what they needed to and are poised to make a good run toward the playoffs. Hendry added an ace to the staff, Big Z is looking good again, Dempster made a successful switch to starter, Wood made a successful switch to closer and most of the if's turned out to be solid contributors to complete team success.
Now, the things we are watching out for are Harden's health, Soriano's return, Fukudome's tiredness, Edmonds' legs, Dempster's fatigue level and Wood's arm.
However, the most pressing thing on my mind is the team's failure to look as good away from Wrigley as they should. This team just hasn't performed up to a "league's best record" type of team when they are on the road. They have to fix this. Dempster will break through eventually, Harden will help, as will Soriano's return , but it's not really any particular letdown that is causing this. The whole club plays a little listlessly on the road. I love the way they look at Wrigley, but they have to translate that to some big away wins. Especially now that the All-Star Game has dictated where a potential Cub World Series will play out.
Tuesday, July 8, 2008
Back at ya, Brewers!
The wily Cub GM, Jim Hendry, responds to the CC Sabathia news with a star pitcher acquisition of his own.
Not a response, as the Cubs have obviously had this in the works, but the game is really on now. The Cards have to be shaking their heads after their two NL Central rivals significantly improve their pitching staffs with early strikes on the trade market.
The Cubs sent Murton, Eric Patterson, Gallagher and minor league catcher Josh Donaldson to Oakland. In return, Chicago got ace pitcher Rich Harden and young reliever Chad Gaudin.
Harden brings a 5-1 record and gaudy 2.34 ERA in 13 starts (the only loss to the White Sox). The edge is that Harden went on the DL earlier this year for the 6th time in 4 seasons. However, he has gone 4-1 in 11 starts since his DL stint. So far this season, Harden had amassed 92 strikeouts and only 31 walks in 77 innings, which is better than his 2.25 career strikeout to walk ratio. Harden has a 3.42 ERA for his career (entirely with the A's) but has appeared in only 29 games in the last three seasons and 51 in the last four.
The knock on Harden is obviously the durability and he's usually going to be about a six inning pitcher. However, those six innings are going to be stellar and I think the upside is so high that you have to live with the injury risk. He's had problems with the rotator and the elbow in the past and seems to be more prone to breaking down in the back half of the season. Hopefully, with the good staff the Cubs have, he will have opportunity to rest and stay fresh. Obviously, he is also moving from a pitcher's park to Wrigley, which can go any way depending on the weather, but I would never call a pitcher's park. At the very least, we replace the perpetual Prior fretting with new Cub Fan Woe.
Gaudin is a 25-year-old right hander with a live arm. He began the season in the starting rotation, going 3-2 with a 3.75 ERA in six starts. Gaudin moved to the pen on May 9 and has gone 2-1 with a 3.38 ERA in 20 appearances. Gaudin came in with Tampa in 2003, pitching 40 innings and not going more than 64 innings in a season until last year's 199.3. He'll help out the Cub pen.
The real joy in this transaction is that the Cubs got Harden and Gaudin without having to break the bank. The reality is that neither Murton nor Patterson were going to see any significant time with the big league club unless something was drastically wrong. That would remain the case for the foreseeable future. Gallagher is a talent, but certainly not on Harden's level (at this point). He was the gem for Oakland in this deal and could turn out to be a good to great pitcher in the future. The Cubs are not working for the future, though. Josh Donaldson was listed as the Cubs' seventh best prospect and showed potential (.346 in 49 games last year for Class A Boise), but hopefully Soto will be manning that slot for a while in Chicago.
Harden's injury concerns obviously brought his trade value down a little, but I see huge upside from this move. With a healthy rotation of Big Z, Harden, Dempster, Lilly and probably Marshall (maybe this is Marquis' ticket out of town?), the Cubs are in the upper echelon of NL staffs and have taken one step closer to a post-season berth.
Not a response, as the Cubs have obviously had this in the works, but the game is really on now. The Cards have to be shaking their heads after their two NL Central rivals significantly improve their pitching staffs with early strikes on the trade market.
The Cubs sent Murton, Eric Patterson, Gallagher and minor league catcher Josh Donaldson to Oakland. In return, Chicago got ace pitcher Rich Harden and young reliever Chad Gaudin.
Harden brings a 5-1 record and gaudy 2.34 ERA in 13 starts (the only loss to the White Sox). The edge is that Harden went on the DL earlier this year for the 6th time in 4 seasons. However, he has gone 4-1 in 11 starts since his DL stint. So far this season, Harden had amassed 92 strikeouts and only 31 walks in 77 innings, which is better than his 2.25 career strikeout to walk ratio. Harden has a 3.42 ERA for his career (entirely with the A's) but has appeared in only 29 games in the last three seasons and 51 in the last four.
The knock on Harden is obviously the durability and he's usually going to be about a six inning pitcher. However, those six innings are going to be stellar and I think the upside is so high that you have to live with the injury risk. He's had problems with the rotator and the elbow in the past and seems to be more prone to breaking down in the back half of the season. Hopefully, with the good staff the Cubs have, he will have opportunity to rest and stay fresh. Obviously, he is also moving from a pitcher's park to Wrigley, which can go any way depending on the weather, but I would never call a pitcher's park. At the very least, we replace the perpetual Prior fretting with new Cub Fan Woe.
Gaudin is a 25-year-old right hander with a live arm. He began the season in the starting rotation, going 3-2 with a 3.75 ERA in six starts. Gaudin moved to the pen on May 9 and has gone 2-1 with a 3.38 ERA in 20 appearances. Gaudin came in with Tampa in 2003, pitching 40 innings and not going more than 64 innings in a season until last year's 199.3. He'll help out the Cub pen.
The real joy in this transaction is that the Cubs got Harden and Gaudin without having to break the bank. The reality is that neither Murton nor Patterson were going to see any significant time with the big league club unless something was drastically wrong. That would remain the case for the foreseeable future. Gallagher is a talent, but certainly not on Harden's level (at this point). He was the gem for Oakland in this deal and could turn out to be a good to great pitcher in the future. The Cubs are not working for the future, though. Josh Donaldson was listed as the Cubs' seventh best prospect and showed potential (.346 in 49 games last year for Class A Boise), but hopefully Soto will be manning that slot for a while in Chicago.
Harden's injury concerns obviously brought his trade value down a little, but I see huge upside from this move. With a healthy rotation of Big Z, Harden, Dempster, Lilly and probably Marshall (maybe this is Marquis' ticket out of town?), the Cubs are in the upper echelon of NL staffs and have taken one step closer to a post-season berth.
Monday, July 7, 2008
Wrigley....On the Rocks
Word is out that Wrigley Field will be the site for an outdoor hockey game between the beloved Blackhawks and the evil Red Wings on next New Year's Day.
Way cool. Literally. Bring some of those hand heaters and giant coat.
Way cool. Literally. Bring some of those hand heaters and giant coat.
Sunday, July 6, 2008
You're Up, Hendry
Milwaukee apparently is the winner in the CC Sabathia bake-off. Word is that the deal is in the final phase, with a physical and some t-crossing the only thing left before CC joins the Brew Crew. MLBtraderumors.com is naming 4 players as the Brewers' bargaining chips.
Cubs fans can't feel too comfortable with that development.
We shall see what the Cubs counter with. Hopefully it won't be the rumored Greg Maddux return to Wrigley. I love Mad Dog, but I seriously doubt that move does a thing for the Cubs. Maddux today is no better than anyone else in the back of the Cubs rotation. Other names mentioned have been Aaron Cook, AJ Burnett and Gil Meche. None of those guys are striking fear in any batters, but they all have some potential. Certainly not the world beater that fans are looking for.
Cubs fans can't feel too comfortable with that development.
We shall see what the Cubs counter with. Hopefully it won't be the rumored Greg Maddux return to Wrigley. I love Mad Dog, but I seriously doubt that move does a thing for the Cubs. Maddux today is no better than anyone else in the back of the Cubs rotation. Other names mentioned have been Aaron Cook, AJ Burnett and Gil Meche. None of those guys are striking fear in any batters, but they all have some potential. Certainly not the world beater that fans are looking for.
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