Cubs Win, But At A Big Price

The Cubs ended up winning 5-2, but they lost star pitcher Carlos Zambrano, who was ejected while arguing a call at home plate. I think if Zambrano does not stick his elbow out, he would have been all right, but he stuck out his elbow, and he's tossed.He then throws a baseball into the stands, (Safety Issue) so Zambrano may have just added to any fine he will recieve.

How long will Zambrano be out? I will say three starts. I'm not going to speculate on the fine.

The Cubs called up the hottest bat in the Pacific Coast League, Jake Fox. He will primarily be used as a bat off the bench. Fox was leading all Minor Leaguers with a .423 batting average, 17 homers and 50 RBIs in 40 games.

The Cubs move on to play the Los Angeles Dodgers, who are reeling without Manny Ramirez.

Carlos Zambrano Wins Silver Slugger Award

For the second time in his career, Carlos Zambrano has won the Silver Slugger Award.

Here were the other Silver Slugger award winners, in both leagues:

AMERICAN LEAGUE
C Joe Mauer, MIN
1B Justin Morneau, MIN
2B Dustin Pedroia, BOS
3B Alex Rodriguez, NYY
SS Derek Jeter, NYY
OF Josh Hamilton, TEX
OF Carlos Quentin, CWS
OF Grady Sizemore, CLE
DH Aubrey Huff, BAL

NATIONAL LEAGUE
C Brian McCann, ATL
1B Albert Pujols, STL
2B Chase Utley, PHI
3B David Wright, NYM
SS Hanley Ramirez, FLA
OF Ryan Braun, MIL
OF Matt Holliday, COL
OF Ryan Ludwick, STL
P Carlos Zambrano, CHC

Congratulations to all the Silver Slugger Award Winners.

The MLB Postseason Is Here! I LIVE FOR THIS!

Prince Fielder,Derrek Lee, Ryan Howard, and David Ortiz are ready for the postseason.

The 2008 MLB Posteason Is Here! Here Is My Analysis of the Divisional Playoff Matchups:

ALDS: WHITE SOX VS RAYS
The White Sox had to battle to get to the postseason. They won that makeup game against the Twins to tie for the AL Central, and then they won that tiebreaker game against the Twins to advance to the ALDS to play the red hot Tampa Bay Rays.

Tampa Bay leads the season series against the White Sox 6-4. In these games, the Rays had a knack for waiting until late in the ballgame to strike, and when they struck late, it was for the win nearly every time.

I think this series has the most potential to go all five games. I'm going to go with the White Sox, especially if their bullpen is as strong as it has been in the last few days.
WHITE SOX IN FIVE


ALDS: RED SOX VS ANGELS

This series should be a lot of fun. There will be a lot of runs scored in this series, and I like the Angels. They have been the best team in the American League all season. As someone who saw the Angels play in person on September 19th,They have so many ways they can beat you. They can outhit you, outpitch you, and when Francisco Rodriguez on the mound in the ninth inning, those games are over, no question about it.

The Angels lead the season Series 8-1, and that was before the Red Sox unloaded Manny Ramirez.
ANGELS IN THREE


NLDS: PHILLIES VS BREWERS

This is another series that I think will be a lot of fun. I think both Prince Fielder and Ryan Howard will both be huge factors in their teams and how they do.

Starting Pitching wise, Milwaukee has the edge, especially with C.C Sabathia. The fact that he threw a complete game on Sunday on three days rest is incredible!

Bullpen wise, Philly has a huge advantage, especially when you consider Brad Lidge, the Phillies closer, has been PERFECT in his save opportunities! 41 for 41 in save chances!

Offense wise, Philly has a slight edge. Yes, Milwaukee has Ryan Braun and Prince Fielder, but Philly has Jimmy Rollins, Chase Utley, Pedro Feliz, and Ryan Howard lead an offense that Is Scary Good.

Philly beat Milwaukee 5-1 in the season series.
PHILLIES IN FOUR



NLDS: DODGERS VS CUBS

This is the series I will be looking forward to. The thing that turned the season around for the Los Angeles Dodgers was the trade of Manny Ramirez. Why Is Manny Ramirez doing so well in Los Angeles? He no longer has a 37 foot high Green Monster out in left field taking away lots of shots that would-be homers at every other ballpark.

The Dodgers are more than just Manny Ramirez. They have Matt Kemp, Andre Eithier, and James Loney. This team has been able to fuse the young talent along with the veteran leadership, and as a result, the Dodgers are in the postseason.

Game One of this series should be a lot of fun. You have Ryan Dempster getting the ball for the Cubs. Dempster won 17 games for the Cubs this year, after he spent last season as the Cubs closer! Derek Lowe for the Dodgers is a classic sinkerballer, just like Brandon Webb. Hopefully the Cubbies plate discipline doesn't disappear when they head to the postseason.

This Cubs team is different than last season's team that went three and out in the National League Division Series. The Cubs have five players with at least 20 home runs, five with at least 74 RBIs, and Three pitchers that have at least 14 wins.

Another thing that the Cubs didn't have last year that should make the difference is Home Field Advantage. The Cubs have home field advantage throughout the playoffs. That 10th man, the crowd, makes all the difference.

In The Season series, the Cubs went 5-2 against the Dodgers this season. However, The Dodgers have become a much different team since then. Manny Ramirez really has made all the difference.

CUBS IN FOUR

Watch The MLB Postseason On TBS Or Listen To It On ESPN Radio!

CARLOS ZAMBRANO HAS JUST THROWN A NO HITTER!!!!

Carlos Zambrano has just no hit the Houston Astros!

This was the first No Hitter thrown by the Cubs since Milt Pappas in 1972.

The count was down to 3-2 on Darin Erstad before Zambrano got the history making strikeout.

The game was played at Miller Park In Milwaukee.

I was watching that game and you would never have known that Zambrano had not pitched for nearly two weeks. He was dominant and he never gave up, even when the count went to 3-0.

This is a performance will be talked about for a long time to come.

Way To Go Big Z!

The Cubs Have The Best Record In Baseball!

A cracked molar couldn't stop Carlos Zambrano against the Reds.

Zambrano hit his 16th career homerun, his fourth of the season, and the Cubs beat the Reds 3-2. With the Twins beating the Angels in extra innings, the Chicago Cubs have the best record in Baseball!

The Cubs are starting to get their pieces working, and if they keep this up, they have a shot at going deep in October.

Carlos Zambrano To Miss Next Three Starts

Carlos Zambrano will miss his next three starts after being put on the 15 day Disabled List by the Chicago Cubs.

The move is in response to a minor strain in his right shoulder. Zambrano left after throwing his 101st pitch in Tampa on Wednesday due to shoulder pain.

Also, Eric Patterson, the younger brother of former Cubs outfielder Corey Patterson, was sent back up to the Cubs.

Obviously, the loss of Zambrano hurts, as the Cubs not only lose a great pitcher, but the best Hitting Pitcher in Baseball! Hopefully whoever they call up to replace Big Z in the rotation (Sean Marshall, probably) will be able to hold down the fort until Big Z returns.

Game Two of the "Crosstown Showdown" is today. Go Cubs!

Carlos Zambrano Has Cubs Fans Believing

Carlos Zambrano has been getting it done with his pitching AND batting.
Carlos Zambrano is coming off a four-hit game against Pittsburgh, and he is now batting .343. Onto the more important aspect, his pitching: Zambrano is 7-1 this year, and is 4-0 at Wrigley Field with a 2.60 ERA in seven starts. Many times, Alfonso Soriano's only baserunner has been Carlos Zambrano.

Zambrano's impressive backstop, Catcher Geovanny Soto, is currently leading the votes to be the starting National League Catcher. He would be the first rookie catcher to ever start an All Star Game for the National League.

In The Outfield, Alfonso Soriano and Kosuke Fukudome are the leading votegetters. I Think Soriano is getting much love from Yankee Fans who still consider him to be more of a "True Yankee" than Alex Rodriguez.

Fukudome is getting lots of love from Japan, just like Hideki Matsui, and Dausuke Mastuzaka.

Tonight the Dodgers play the Cubs on ESPN2. Carlos Zambrano takes his 7-1 record against Derek Lowe of the Dodgers.

One Week Through Baseball Season...

Here's What I've Observed...

THE PLAN FOR CARLOS ZAMBRANO TO EAT MORE BANANAS AND DRINK LESS ENERGY DRINKS IS WORKING
Carlos Zambrano lasted a little longer in his second start than he did in his first, and there was no cramping for Zambrano in this game. Zambrano lasted seven innings and struck out seven batters. Zambrano was on in this game, as he didn't walk anybody and lasted 105 pitches.

IT DOESN'T MATTER WHERE ALFONSO SORIANO HITS OR HOW LONG HE'S IN A SLUMP, THE HITTING WILL TAKE CARE OF ITSELF
Alfonso Soriano broke out of a 1-for-24 start with a leadoff homer in the fifth inning. He pulled an outside pitch into the basket in left to break a 1-1 tie. In the first inning, Soriano nailed Astros leadoff man Michael Bourn at home on a sacrafice fly. Alfonso Soriano will take care of himself. The Cubs don't need to worry about him.

DERREK LEE IS HITTING LIKE A MAN POSSESSED
Derrek Lee hit his third homerun in a week as the Cubs continue to go as Derrek goes. Lee has swung for both contact and power, as evidenced by his three doubles he's hit in a week. Once Lee, Aramis Ramirez, and Alfonso Soriano get hot and start hitting, watch out!

THE DETROUT TIGERS, WITH ALL OF THEIR PRESEASON HYPE, ARE STILL WINLESS, AT 0-5
The Detroit Tigers, with all the Spring Training Hype about Miguel Cabrera and Dontrelle Willis, are winless. It is obvious the Tigers miss Joel Zumaya and Curtis Granderson. The Detroit Tigers have not started off this bad since they were 0-9 en route to an American League Record 119 losses in 2003.

Could Detroit still right the ship? Abseloutely. But they better do it quickly, or they will be in big trouble.

JOHAN SANTANA'S SECOND START NOT HELPED BY ANEMIC METS OFFENSE
Johan Santana had overall not quite as good of a start as he did last time, exiting with his Mets down 1-0 due to a third inning RBI double. The Mets Offense couldn't get anything going, and credit that to the great pitching job done by John Smoltz. The Braves doubled their lead in the eighth, after Santana left, thanks to Mark Texiera homerun. The Mets got their lone run in the ninth thanks to a Ryan Church RBI Single.

The Mets better start scoring more runs to help out their already thin rotation or this will turn into another season of despair for Mets fans.

Chicago Cubs October Comercial

Check out this Dane Cook Actober commercial about The Cubs. Click on the video to have it begin.

The Cubs quest for a World Series Pennant starts again tonight as the Cubs take on the Arizona Diamondbacks. Carlos Zambrano goes for The Cubs, while Brandon Webb goes for the Diamondbacks.

Be sure to catch all of the Divisonal Series Games on TBS.

There's only one postseason, there's only one Fall Classic. There's only one October!

MLB Playoffs Preview!

Carlos Zambrano and Alfonso Soriano are on a mission to help deliver The Cubs a World Series Pennant.



I Live For This!
It's October, and that means that the postseason for Major League Baseball Season is about to get under way. Let's take a look at each series and the things that will have to happen for that team to go to the World Series.

NATIONAL LEAGUE DIVISIONAL SERIES
Philladelphia Phillies vs. Colorado Rockies
Analysis: The Colorado Rockies had to fight to make it here, and they did, scoring three runs, including the game winner, in the bottom of the 13th inning to beat San Deigo in a thrilling 9 to 8 finish in the one game playoff to decide the winner of the National League Wild Card. The Rockies are getting here thanks to the collapse of the San Diego Padres over the last two weeks. The Philladelphia Phillies are also getting here because of a monumental collapse over the last two weeks, they sat back and watched the New York Mets blow an 8 and a half game lead with two weeks to play to get eliminated from the playoffs. Both of these teams just got in at the last minute, and this will be a good series for both teams.
Keys To Victory
PHILLIES: No doubt, Ryan Howard is the key for the Phillies. If he's swinging the bat well, Philladelphia will win the series. If he's not, it will be that much harder for Philly to pull it out.
COLORADO: Troy Tulowitski will be the key for the Rockies, with the glove and the bat. Tulowtski got an unassisted triple play for the Rockies against the Braves, and he did a good job with the bat as well, batting near .300. He's gonna be key for the Rockies.
Your Winner
PHILLIES. The Phillies just seem to have more depth, more offense, and more defense, although The fact that Denver is the highest altitude in Baseball will help the Rockies out. Expect a lot of homeruns in this series. I go with The Phillies in five. I expect it to go back and fourth with the Phillies winning.
Phillies in Five.

Chicago Cubs vs. Arizona Diamondbacks
Analysis: This is the series that I'm waiting to see. The Cubs got hot after the Florida series and won the National League Central for the first time since 2003, when they were five outs away from going to the World Series before a monumental collapse cost them their chance to Break The Curse. Watch out for this young Diamondback team, particularly when Micah Owings is pitching (and hitting.)
Keys To Victory
CUBS: No doubt, the key for the Cubs will be scoring runs. Runs will be hard to score in Game One against Brandon Webb, so one run for either side may be enough to win a couple of the games.

DIAMONDBACKS: The Diamondbacks were everyone's unexpected team this season. Arizona seemed to get hot and stay hot nearly all season. The Diamondbacks don't have much of a rotation outside of Micah Owings and Brandon Webb, so they need to depend on the arms of the bullpen to help them win ballgames.
Your Winner
I've gotta go with the Cubs. I think this Cubs team is good enough to beat the Diamondbacks and face the Phillies in the NLCS. That would be a fantastic series. Perhaps the Cubs could go further than five outs away from going to the World Series this time around.
Cubs In Four

AMERICAN LEAGUE DIVISIONAL SERIES
Los Angeles Angels Of Anaheim vs Boston Red Sox
Analysis: Game One is another marquee pitching matchup. Twenty Game winner Josh Beckett takes the mound for the Red Sox, while nineteen game winner John Lackey is on the mound for the Angels.
Keys To Victory
RED SOX: Outside of the Pitching, David Ortiz and Manny Ramirez are thr two biggest reasons why the Red Sox will be very hard to defeat. Ortiz and Manny were together in 2004 when the Red Sox won the World Series, and were in the playoffs again in 2005, when the White Sox defeated the Angels to advance to the American League Championship Series.
ANGELS: Vladamir Guererro and Garret Anderson will be tough to defeat. Andersson had 10 RBIs in an August win over the Yankees, and Vlad is the defending Home Run Derby Champion.
Red Sox in Four

New York Yankees vs. Cleveland Indians
Analysis: This will be a fantastic series as well. Chien Mien Wang will pitch Game One for the Yankees, and C.C. Sabathia will pitch for the Red Sox.
Keys To Victory
YANKEES: Alex Rodriguez will have his chance to erase his "Choke-Rod" label that comes with him every October.
INDIANS: The only Indian that has posteason experience is Trot Nixon, who was with the 2004 Boston Red Sox. Travis Hafner will be swinging for the fences. C.C. Sabathia and Paul Byrd will have to bring their A-Game to prevent a Yankee sweep.
Prediction:Yankees in Three.

My Picks.
ALCS: New York Yankees vs. Boston Red Sox
NLCS: Chicago Cubs vs. Philladelphia Phillies

The Major League Baseball Postseason begins tommorow! Don't miss a second of the exciting playoff action!

Carlos Zambrano Gets Shown The Moolah

The deal finally is done.

Cubs right-hander Carlos Zambrano has agreed to a five-year, $91.5 million contact extension. The deal, which includes a $19.25 million player option for a sixth year, gives Zambrano the highest average salary ever awarded to a pitcher on a multi-year contract.

It also gives him the highest average salary in Cubs history, surpassing left fielder Alfonso Soriano, who signed an eight-year, $136 million, free-agent contract last off-season.

Zambrano, 26, was eligible for free agency at the end of the season, and almost certainly would have surpassed the seven-year, $126 million deal that the Giants awarded left-hander Barry Zito last off-season.

The original five-year deal between Zambrano and the Cubs was worth slightly more than $80 million. But the sale of the team delayed the completion of an agreement, and since then Zambrano has emerged as a Cy Young contender, raising his price.

Zambrano, 26, will be eligible for free agency again at 31, giving him the possibility of landing a second monster deal while still relatively close to his prime.

His signing removes by far the most accomplished pitcher from this winter's free-agent market. Red Sox right-hander Curt Schilling, Diamondbacks right-hander Livan Hernandez, Phillies right-hander Kyle Lohse are among the other free agents who will be available.

Zambrano is 14-9 with a 3.86 ERA this season, 78-51 with a 3.37 ERA lifetime.

The Cubs were Finally Able to make the smart move and re-sign Carlos Zambrano. Zambrano has faltered in his quest to win the National League Cy Young Awward Recently, going winless in his last three starts. Zambrano has the stuff of any of the best pitchers in the game, and he can hit as well. He tied the Cubs Season Record for Homeruns by a Pitcher last year! Good Move by the Cubs getting him signed before he would have walked away to another team willing to pay him Barry Zito-esque money (How's that money working for Zito anyway? He's a double digit loser now in the National League after coming over from the American League.)

Good to see the Cubs continue to improve the team.

Michael Barrett has burned his last bridge in Chicago

Former Chicago Cubs Catcher Michael Barrett has burned his last bridge for the Chicago Cubs. Barrett was traded Last Night to the San Diego Padres for Catcher Rob Bowen and a minor league outfielder.

Machael was a good hitter, batting .256 with nine homeruns, but Cubs fans will not remember him for his skills with the bat.

The way Cubs fans will remember Barrett is for his defensive lapses costing the Cubs games, and for his punching of White Sox Catcher A.J. Pierzynski (above), and for his feuds with pitchers Rich Hill and Carlos Zambrano. The feud with Zambrano went as far as Barrett and Zambrano to start launching wild haymakers at each other in the dugout!

Good riddance Michael! The Cubs will be better off without a guy who tears the team apart like you! Koyie Hill and Rob Bowen will be better than you!