It's All Over

A disappointing season came to a close today with a disappointing loss to Arizona 5-2. Sam Fuld was the lone bright spot with his first and second career RBIs. There were a few themes throughout this season that really hurt us:
1) Injuries
2) Lack of Runs

And when you don't score, you don't win. The good news Cubs fans: There's always next year. This year, from the start, never had the same feel as last year. We won only 83 games. This year ended a lot different from the past two years in the sense that in '07 and '08 nobody saw the end coming, which made it even more disappointing. However, at least we were in the postseason. This year we've know that this wasn't going to be "the year" for about a month. There's a lot of things that we could talk about that didn't go our way, but let's focus on 10 good things:

1) Randy Wells- This year we found ourselves a quality big league starting pitcher in Wells. He has a chance to be the Rookie of the Year, and tied with Lilly for the team lead in wins with 12. However, let's keep our fingers crossed that he doesn't have a Soto-like Sophomore season.

2) Ted Lilly- The one Cub All-Star, the "Bulldog" gives you 110%, and you get bet your money that you'll get another strong year out of Teddy in 2010.

3) The Start- On Opening Day 2009, one of my favorite moments of the entire season occurred in the first batter. The second pitch of the season, Alfonso Soriano nailed a solo-homer. We waited all offseason for the start, and the year got off to a great start with a win over the Astros. I, for one, thought that this Soriano homer would set the tone for a great year. Needless to say, I was wrong, but it's still one of the great moments of the season.

4) Woody's Return- June 19-21, the Cubs swept a 3 game interleague series at Wrigley against Mark DeRosa, Kerry Wood, and the Indians. The Cubs were down by 7 in Game 1 of that series as late as the 5th inning, but they rallied with tallies in the 5th and 6th, then scored 4 in the 8th and were down by just 1 in the bottom of the 9th. Former Cubs pitcher Kerry Wood came on, and Derrek Lee took his former teammate deep to tie the game. The Cubs won it on a Ryan Theriot single in the 10th. Another one of the top games of the season.

5) Baker/Hart Trades- Jim Hendry may have struggled last offseason, but he made a pair of great trades during the season this year. Jeff Baker came over from Colorado, and filled that hole that DeRosa left playing all over the field. In addition, Baker tore it up at the plate. Hendry made a trade just before the deadline that brought a duo of solid left-handed hurlers over from Pittsburgh in Tom Gorzelanny and John Grabow. Gorzelanny, Grabow, and Baker could be a big part of this club in 2010. Let's hope these in-season moves are a start to some good moves this offseason by Hendry.

6) Getting a Look at the Kids- Because of the injuries, we did get a chance to get a look at guys like Andres Blanco, Jake Fox, Koyie Hill, Tyler Colvin, Esmalin Caridad, Justin Berg, Jeff Stevens, Jeff Samardzija, Sam Fuld, and others. These young players got a lot of playing time for the 2009 Cubs, and they did a nice job for us. Expect to see many of them competing for jobs in Spring Training.

7) The Minor League Teams- The Cubs had a great draft in June as top picks DJ LeMahieu and Brett Jackson ended up leading the 2009 Peoria Chiefs to the postseason. The Tennessee Smokies had a great season under manager Ryne Sandberg, and ended up going to the Southern League Championship game. The Future is looking bright...

8) Derrek Lee- The oldest starting position player on the Cubs put together a GREAT season even though the hitters around him in the middle of the Cubs order struggled. Lee is the only Cubs hitter who had a solid season.

9) Ryan Dempster- Demp dealt with an up and down season on and off the field, but Demp is a real pro. Most of the time, he stayed focused despite some difficult situations off the field.

10) Pat and Ron- No matter where the Cubs are in the standings, Pat Hughes and Ron Santo make the broadcasts on WGN Radio worth listening to. They always have fun, and Cubs fan have enjoyed them for 14 full seasons.

The one thing that worries me is that Jim Hendry and Lou Piniella seem to think they can bring back close to the same group they have now next year. Will it be an interesting winter?

Breaking News: According to Judd Sirott of WGN Radio, Jim Hendry has announced that he will bring back the entire Cubs coaching staff in 2010 except for hitting coach Von Joshua. Von will be offered a job in the Cubs farm system. The Cubs will look elsewhere this offseason for a new hitting coach.

Tomorrow morning I will have a post that puts together all of the latest Cubs Related Rumors and Notes for you, as we enter the "Hot-Stove Season".

I want to thank all of you for reading my blog this year. It's been a fun year of blogging on the Cubs, and I hope you enjoyed reading. Remember: The season is done, but Everything Cubs Blog is not, our offseason posts and blogging will start tomorrow and continue all winter long.

And remember...
183 Days Until Opening Day 2010 @ATL

Cubs Notes: Cubs Targets, Randy Wells, and More

Coaching Staff to Return?
Lou Piniella is expected to meet with Jim Hendry soon to discuss whether or not all of the coaches will return next season. Bruce Miles reports that most of the staff will return for 2010, and an official announce could be made sometime next week. Pitching coach Larry Rothschild is a "shoo-in" to return. Alan Trammell, Matt Sinatro, Mike Quade, and Lester Strode are also expected back.

No Olympics for Chicago
Even though the 2016 Olympics in Chicago could have forced the Cubs to go on an extended road trip, most of the Cubs were hoping the city would get the games. However, they turned out to be disappointed on Friday when, not only did the Cubs not get the Olympics, but they were the first city eliminated from the final 4.

Derrek Lee Back
Lee was back in the Cubs lineup today after missing a few days with "personal business". Aramis Ramiez was also in the lineup today, he is still dealing with some pain in his shoulder.

Scales Want to Stay
Bobby Scales is hoping that he is in the Cubs plans for 2010. The rookie finally made it the Bigs after 11 years in the minors this year. Scales hit .244 in 50 games with the Cubs this season. He is versatile appearing in 4 different positions.

ROY Candidate
Cubs rookie pitcher Randy Wells has been one of the few bright spots this season. Today he picked up his 12th win to improve his record to 12-10 with a 3.18 ERA. Wells could have as many as 16 wins if he would have gotten more run support in some of his games. J.A. Happ is his main competition, the Phillies righty is 12-4 with a 2.85 ERA.

Miles Confident
Aaron Miles is confident that he will improve in his second year as a Cub in 2010. The backup infielder's year was full of injuries and disappointing play... similar to the Cubs' year as a whole.

Cubs Targets
Here's a list of guys that Phil Rodgers of the Chicago Tribune think Jim Hendry may be able to land this off season:
1. Adam Dunn
2. Bobby Abreu
3. Dan Uggla
4. Miguel Tejada
5. Gary Sheffield
6. Brad Hawpe
7. Rick Ankiel
8. Paul Byrd
9. Chris Young
10. Mark DeRosa

See anyone you like Cubs fans?

It's Over Tomorrow
Tomorrow the Cubs and D'back will face off in the final game of 2009. Let's go get one more win... and enjoy the last game, because we'll wish for baseball to return all offseason long.

Just 2 Left: Offseason Blog Preview and Rumors

Let's take a look at our blogging schedule with the season ending on Sunday!:

• Sat.: Cubs Notes
• Sun.: Opinion Post- Thoughts on the Season
• Mon.: Taking a Look at my predictions from Spring Training
• Tues.: Former Cubs in Playoffs Look
• Wed.: Cubs Report Cards
• Thurs.: Latest from the Rumor Mill/Off Season Preview
• Thurs.-Sun.: Number Breakdown- Mark DeRosa VS Jeff Baker, Radio Recaps, Rumors, and AFL Update.

And... throughout the entire offseason I will post the latest rumors, radio recaps, and links each and every day.

The Cubs were crushed by the D'backs today, after yesterday's game was postponed in the 4th inning with the Cubs trailing. The game will not be made up. Tomorrow's game VS AZ starts at 12:05 and the season finale is Monday at 1:20.

A few Cubs Notes:

• Jeff Samardzija is hoping to move into the starting rotation in 2010.
• The Cubs have scored 2 or fewer runs in over 1/3 of their games.
• The Cubs are interested in adding White Sox backup catcher Ramon Castro.
• The Rangers aren't interested in Milton Bradley.
• Phil Rodgers thinks the Cubs should pursue Gary Sheffield.
• Aramis Ramiez told Sullivan that it's not Jim Hendry fault that the Bradley signing didn't work out.
• Carlos Zambrano~ "Like Arnold Schwarzenegger said, 'I'll be back'."
• Ted Lilly wants to Cubs to hold on to Reed Johnson and try to bring back Mark DeRosa.
• 4 out of 6 executive that Buster Olney asked said that the Cubs won't offer Rich Harden arbitration.

The Off Season= The best time to blog! As sad as I am when baseball season comes to a close, I'm looking forward to winter as well!

Gregg Wants to Stay
Kevin Gregg wants to stay a Chicago Cub. he also seems himself a closer and want to be in that role in 2010, according to Gordon Wittenmyer. "If teams are going to look at me to close, they know I can close," said Gregg. The free agent to-be is unlikely to be resigned this winter. The Cubs officially shut Gregg down for the season yesterday with a ribcage injury.

Corner Infield Injury Updates
Derrek Lee was back in the lineup for game 2 yesterday after X-rays revealed no fracture in his foot. Lee hit a foul off his foot on Tuesday. He has also dealt with neck injuries as of late and throughout the season. In the mean time, the news is also good on third baseman Aramis Ramirez. Ramirez will not be shut down for the season, and Lou is planning to start Rami tonight. He has been playing through pain.

World Series 101
It's time to Wait Until Next Year once again. On Tuesday night the Rockies beat the Brewers to clinch the NL Wild Card.

Trammell on Managing Cubs
Ryan Sandberg, Bob Brenly, and Alan Trammell; all of whom are already in the Cubs organization, are the 3 top candidates to replace Lou Piniella as Cubs manager some day. Alan, the Cubs bench coach, told this to the Chicago Tribune: "I want to be on the field, and if it's doing what I do now, I'm OK with that," Trammell said. "If someone was to call, that might rekindle the fire a little bit. ... I'm a baseball guy. I admit it. I love it. ... But as far as managing, I want to be a little pickier. Maybe I'm shooting myself in the foot saying that, but I feel like after doing it the way I did it, I'm not just going to seek any job."

Lou on Waddle and Silvy
Among other things, Lou mentioned that the Cubs will try to replace Bradley.

Winter Ball
The Giants AZIL clobbered the Cubs 12-6 yesterday in Mesa. Arizona Phil from TCR had a nice right up on the game. Cubs pitcher Jeff Samardzija will pitch in the Mexican Winter League this off season as he hopes to compete for a spot in the starting rotation in 2010 Spring Training. The Arizona Fall League gets started a week from next Tuesday, on the 13th. The Mesa Solar Sox will take on Phoenix. We'll have updates from all the winter leagues throughout the offseason.

3 Mil
The Cubs have now had over 3 million fans pass through the turnstiles 6 years in a row. They join the Yankees, Dodgers, and Angels as the only teams to do so.

Add one thing to the list of similarities between 2007 and 2009: It ends with 3 against Arizona. Let's hope the Cubs win more of those 3 games this year then they did 2 years ago.

2010 Wish List, Arizona IL, and More

Carol Slezak wrote in the Sun-Times about the Cubs'/Lou's 2010 wish list:

• A return to form for Soriano and Soto.
• Part ways with Rich Harden and Kevin Gregg.
• Pay another team to take Milton Bradley.
• Aramis Ramirez and Derrek Lee staying healthy.
• Carlos Marmol can close.
• Randy Wells continues his success.
• Carlos Zambrano needs to mature.

This is just a start. We'll continue to blog about all this as we move into the offseason.

Now a few other notes:

• Kevin Gregg will be shut down for the remainder of the season with a rib cage injury. Gregg's Cub career could be over.
• Aramis Ramirez is out of the lineup with shoulder soreness. He could be the next named added to the "shut down for the season" list.
• Lou Piniella talked to Carrie Muskat about the Sun-Times article that said that Lou is "tired, cranky, and disinterested", and that he "should be removed as Cubs manager".
• Check out Carrie's Inbox from Cubs.com.

Also, the Arizona Instructional League got underway at Fitch Park yesterday as the Cubs tied the Brewers 9-9. The Instructional League puts together many top lower level prospects from each team and puts them on a team, one for each organization to get some fall work in. The AZIL should not be mixed up with the Arizona Fall League. Here is the box score from Game 1:

• Hak-Ju Lee: 1-5
• D.J. LeMahieu: 3-5
• Ryan Flaherty: 3-4
• Rebel Ridling: 2-4
• Kyler Burke: 0-4
• Jovan Rosa: 0-2
• Michael Brenly 2-2
• Justin Bour: 1-4
• Runey Davis: 1-4
• Dong-Yub Kim: 2-4
• Kyung-Min Na: 0-3

Pitchers:

• Alberto Cabrera: 3 IP, 2 H, 1 R
• Rafael Dolis: 2 IP, 3 H, 2 R
• Jose Rosario: 1 IP, 2 H, 3 R
• Austin Kirk: 2 IP, 4 H, 2 R
• Corey Martin: 1 IP, 3 H, 1 R

Today, the Cubs fell to the A's 5-1 to drop to 0-2. Hitters Box Score:

• Kyung-Min Na: 0-2
• Blair Springfield: 0-2
• Logan Watkins: 1-4
• Ryan Flaherty: 1-4
• Rebel Ridling: 0-3
• Kyler Burke: 0-3
• Brandon May: 1-2
• Richard Jones: 1-1
• Bobby Wagner: 0-2
• D.J. Fitzgerald: 0-3
• Ping-Chieh Chen: 0-3
• Wes Darvill: 0-3

Pitching:

• Thomas Diamond: 2 IP, 1 H, 1 R
• Brooks Raley: 3 IP, 3 H, 2 R
• Trey McNutt: 3 IP, 3 H, 2 R
• Steve Grife: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R

A glimpse of the future is always nice when your where the Cubs are...

Off Day Rumor Time!

As the baseball season winds down, we prepare for the Hot Stove season. Let's take a look at the latest Cubs Rumors and Notes:

• Randy Wells is in the Cubs plans for next year. Wittenmyer says he is penciled in to the rotation along with Zambrano, Dempster, and Lilly. If Rich Harden does not return, the 5th starters spot will be open for competition between Tom Gorzelanny, Jeff Samardzija, Sean Marshall, and any free agent signings the Cubs may make.
• Carlos Marmol, Angel Guzman and Aaron Heilman are the only guys that are close to a sure thing for the 2010 bullpen, which leaves 4 spots open. John Grabow will take one if he is resigned, so that leaves 2 open for competition between Esmalin Caridad, Jeff Stevens, David Patton, Justin Berg, Jeff Samardzija, and Sean Marshall.
• Derrek Lee and Kevin Gregg should both return tomorrow night.
• The latest Zambrano drama: he'll retire if he has another bad season next year.
• Royals officials deny having interest in Milton Bradley.
• Keith Law compared Rich Harden to Brad Penny, but says that the Cubs may not want to sign Harden to a multi-year deal because of healthy issues.
• Harden would like to be back in Chicago next year, but Sullivan says the feeeling isn't mutual.
• Lou Piniella doesn't expect as big of a turn over this offseason as last. He expects about half as many changes as the Cubs made last year (10).
• "Some baseball people believe the White Sox could have interest in the Cubs' Carlos Zambrano, possibly even for the newly acquired Jake Peavy. It would be a way for two teams without much money to spend to shake things up, but wouldn't Peavy have more value than Zambrano at this point?" Link to Phil Rodgers' column.
• Tyler Colvin's parents will be at Wrigley to take in the series against the D'backs.
• Ron Santo will return to the WGN Radio booth for this homestand, to call the final 7 games.

That's that! I'll keep you posted!

Breaking Down the Cubs Playoff Chances

On the Brink of Elimination
The Cubbies are in a hot stretch, winning the first 3 in this 4 games series against the Giants after taking 2 of 3 in Milwaukee Mon.-Wed. However, the St. Louis Cardinals have clinched the NL Central and the Cubs' hope of advancing to the postseason is very slim to none. The Cubs are 5.5 games out with 8 left to play for them so if they take say 7 of 8 they'd need:

*Colorado to lose at least 6 of 7
*Atlanta to lose at least 5 of 8
*Florida to lose at least 3 of 7
*Giants to lose at least 1 of 7
If all this happens, the Cubs will win the Wild Card. If the Cubs can win each of the last 8 games they will need:

*Colorado to lose at least 5 of 7
* Atlanta to lose at least 4 of 8
*Florida to lose at least 2 games

If the Cubs go 6-2 in the last 8 games, they will need:
*Colorado lose out to cause tie Cubs tie
* Also, Atlanta must lose at least 3 of last 8
* Florida must lose at least 3 of last 7
* Giants must lose at least 2 of last 7

If the Cubs go 5-3 or worse, they will be eliminated.
So pretty much any combo of 3 Rockies' wins or Cubs' losses would end the Cubs playoff hope.

A few other Cubs notes:

• The Cubs have won 6 of 7 since the suspension to Milton Bradley, and their record is now 20-10 in game in which Milton doesn't play. Coincidence?
• Aramis Ramirez said, "The main problem (this year) was that we didn't score enough runs. If they're going to improve something, I think that's the area they need to address more." Many of the other Cubs players, Cubs fans, and Lou Piniella feel the same.
• Derrek Lee is expected to return no latter than Tuesday with his neck spasms.

The Cubs most likely will not be playing in the postseason, but let's finish strong none the less, because a week from today, it's all over.