Twoo weeks in already! The Cubs, as per usual, made life for its fans interesting with a tight three game sweep over the pitiful Pirates. And then the Phillies. What I thought would be a strength (starting pitching) is growing into a concern. The Cubs' pitchers just aren't getting it done early and they are already taxing a questionable bullpen. A major weakness the past few seasons has been relying on the homerun; that's evident already. I shouldn't complain with a 6-5 record, but concerned the already mentioned tendencies will carry over. (this picture was from a game we attended years ago when a fan went crazy. We do have a shot of the police coming, which I will save for another post)



Other tidbits:



-Look at the teams currently in first place. All but one are surprises so far. I think April is a time for surprises, so Baltimore, ChiSox, Oakland, Florida and and St.Louis fans, enjoy it while it lasts! Minnesota and even Pittsburgh (despite being swept by the Cubs) are playing decent considering what their expectations were going in.



-Here's an an interesting column, written by one time Cub Doug Glanville in the New York Times, concerning Roger Clemens. You will find this interesting: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/11/opinion/11glanville.html?em&ex=1208059200&en=271aa940f72b50e9&ei=5087%0A

-Francisco Liriano will be making his return today. Before he was hurt, he was very dominant. I wonder if the surgery he had will affect anything he will do. Don't be surprised if Liriano struggles a bit.

-Greg Maddux has always been one of my favorite pitchers. Who knows what his career would have been like had stayed with the Cubs after 1992. i was always bitter about him leaving (not his fault). Would Atlanta won as many Division crowns as they did? Could the Cubs have reached the World Series? Of course, we'll never know. Check out this article: http://sports.espn.go.com/espnmag/story?id=3336514

-Johan Santana isn't setting the NL on fire-yet. He's 1-2 after losing yesterday. I wasn't buying into the hype at the beginning, and granted, it's early, but I do not see this working out as great as everybody thinks it will. A possible Hunter Flop?

-I'm watching the Cubs-Phillies on TBS. First off...it's just plain wrong anyone other than the Braves are on TBS. Just wrong! But anyway...Jamie Moyer is pitching for the Phillies. He's like 50! Anyway, I remember when Moyer pitched for the Cubs-when I was still in high school!


Hunter Flops for week 2:



-C.C. Sabathia: 0-2; 11.57 ERA. It's early, but YUCK!




-Roy Oswalt: 0-3; 9.00 ERA



-Ted Lilly: 2 weeks in a row listed; 0-2; 9.95 ERA and I have watched two of these starts and he looks pathetic! Look out, because Jon Leiber is ready to take your spot!



-David Ortiz: 1 HR, .070 BA. He'll heat up soon.



-Andruw Jones: 0 HR, .105 BA. Was the money worth it?



-Miguel Cabrera: 1HR, .167 BA. Helping the Tigers in their floppiness.



-Detroit: 2-9 and just playing pathetically. They will stay on this list until they get to .500. If they get to .500.



-Washington: It kills me to put them on here, but 3-9 with 9 losses in a row.


-NY Mets: Sure they're 5-5, but weren't people expecting 10-0 or 9-1??

Comment or vote for your Hunter Flop.

2 weeks away from my first in-person game of the year....

Happy Sunday!