'84 Cubs Where Are They Now, Adding Night Game at Wrigley, Cubs Pitchers Poll, and More

Kevin Gregg has been named the closer for the Cubs. Info at bottom of post.

I came across a few great articles about the Cubs in newspapers. One was in the Times called Where are the '84 Cubs Now? The next was Gordon Wittenmyer's survey of Cubs pitchers in the Sun-Times. And the last one was from the Tribune about what the Cubs players would think of more night games at Wrigley.

Where Are the '84 Cubs Now?

Bobby Denier, CF: Roving outfield and base running instructor in the Cubs' farm system.
Ryne Sandberg, 2B: Manager of the Cubs' AA team.
Gary Matthew, LF: Color analyst for Phillies broadcasts.
Keith Moreland, RF: Color analyst for the University of Texas football and baseball broadcasts.
Leon Durham, 1B: Hitting coach for the Tigers AAA team.
Jody Davis, C: Roving catching instructor in the Cubs system.
Ron Cey: Community relations rep for LA Dodgers.
Larry Bowa, SS: 3rd base coach for Dodgers.
Rick Sutcliffe, SP: Color analyst for ESPN.
Lee Smith: Roving pitching instructor in Giants' system.

So all of the '84 Cubs starting lineup and their top 2 pitchers are still involved in baseball (or football in Moreland's case) in some way.

Cubs Players Split About Adding Night Games:

• Aramis Ramirez says he would rather have more night games in the summer because of the heat during the day.
• Ryan Dempster likes the tradition of having lots of day games, and wants the Cubs to continue it.
• Reed Johnson says that it should be an advantage to the Cubs when they play day games because they play more of them than anyone else.
• Paul Sullivan says it is all about revenue in the end and that night games would increase revenue because that would increase TV ratings.

Gordon Wittenmyer polled 18 Cubs pitchers including all the members of the Cubs projected Opening Day roster except one who didn't want to participate. Here are the results of the Cubs Pitchers Poll:

Best Curveball

• Marshall: 55.9%
• Patton: 16.7%
• Others: 27.8%

Best Fastball:

• Zambrano: 33.3%
• Harden: 16.7%
• Gregg: 16.7%

Best Changeup:

• Harden: 27.8%
• Ascanio: 22.2%
• Heilman: 16.7%
• Dempster: 11.1%
• Others: 22.2%

Nastiest pitch:

• Zambrano's slider, slitter, sinker: 5.9%
• Anything by Zambrano: 11.8%
• Marmol's slider: 47.1%
• Gregg's splitter: 11.8%
• Others: 11.8%

Starter to win one game:

• Dempster: 55.8%
• Zambrano: 27.8%
• Lilly: 11.1%
• Others: 5.8%

Reliever to get one out:

• Marmol: 72.2%
• Others: 27.8%

I think it says a lot that Dempster's peers voted him to be the starter to win one game instead of Zambrano. Speaking of Zambrano, my guess is that he's the one who declined to participate. I can't imagine why one of the Cubs pitchers would not want to do this poll just for fun.

Some Notes from the Cubs AAA Game Yesterday:

• Kevin Gregg, Chad Fox, and Luis Vizcaino got some work in against the A's AAA team.
• Gregg had a great first inning, working a 3 up, 3 down.
• In the second innings Gregg threw 17 pitches and only 8 strikes allowing a hit and a run.
• Chad Fox worked a 1-2-3 inning.
• Luis Vizcaino gave up 2 hits and 0 runs in his inning of work.
• Lester Strode, the Cubs bullpen coach, made the trip with the 3 pitchers to watch them throw.
• Sam Fuld went 2-2 in the game with 2 BB and 3 runs.
• Doug Deeds went 4-5 with a homer.
• Jake Fox went 2-4 with a homer.
• Luis Rivas went 1-4.
• Jose Ascaino worked 2 innings and allowed 1 run.
• Sacramento won the game over the Iowa Cubs by a score of 8-7.
• Thanks to Arizona Phil from the Cubs Reporter for this info.

Check out my "30 in 30" recaps:

• http://cubsblog-cubbiefan07.blogspot.com/2009/03/nl-central-preview-cardinals-30-teams.html click for Cardinals
• http://cubsblog-cubbiefan07.blogspot.com/2009/03/brewers-30-teams-in-30-days-recap.html Click for Brewers.
• Still to come: Pirates, Astros, and Reds.

Starting Lineup Today VS Indians:

• Soriano, LF
• Theroit, SS
• Lee, 1B
• Braldey, RF
• Ramirez, 3B
• Fontenot, 2B
• Soto, C
• Gathright, CF
• Lilly, P

Mark DeRosa is in the Indians lineup today batting second and playing 3B. Kerry Wood is also on the travel squad today. We could see Woody pitch against the Cubs!

This Just in...

The Sun-Times is reporting that Kevin Gregg is going to be the Cubs closer. Carlos Marmol will remain in the setup role. I think this makes a lot of sense. Going into camp, I think everyone thought Marmol would be handed the closer's job. Gregg has pitched well this spring and has earned it. Kevin has not even allowed a run all spring. I'll update this post if a get more info on this.

I'll keep you posted.

NL Central Preview: Cardinals "30 Teams in 30 Days" Recap

Greg Amsinger was joined by Sean Casey, Joe Magrane and John Hart for the Cardinals preview. Hazel Mae did reporting and interviews from Arizona.

• Joe thinks there is a lot of pressure on the bullpen.
• John agrees that the bullpen is a bit of an issue.
• Ryan Franklin, Chris Perez, Jason Motte, and Josh Kinney are all competing for the closer and setup roles.
• The development of the bullpen is a big key.

Hazel talk with Tony La Russa:

• Tony thinks the club took a lot of hits and didn't catch too many breaks in 2008.
• Chris Carpenter is feeling good.
• Chris Perez has a lot of talent and has a good chance to be the closer.
• Tony says that the Cardinals have a deep bullpen.
• The Cardinals might move Skip Schumaker to second base so they can get him in the lineup every day.
• Troy Glaus won't be ready until late April or early May. Joe Mather could get time at 3rd in the first month of the season.

Tony runs a very smooth, professional camp.

2008 MLB Ranks:

• Average- 2nd
• Runs- 12th
• HR- 11th
• ERA- 14th
• Blown Saves- Tied for First

More on the Cards:

• John likes some of the young players that they will bring up.
• Magrane says that St. Louis is getting back to focusing on the draft instead of free agents.
• La Russa is one of the best managers in the game according to Hart. There is a high bar that Tony sets and he gets the most out of their players.
• Sean says that the whole coaching staff is very prepared.

Projected Batting Order:

• Skip Schumaker, 2B
• Ryan Ludwick, RF
• Albert Pujols, 1B
• Rick Ankiel, LF
• Yadier Molina, C
• Khalil Greene, SS
• David Freese/ Brian Barden, 3B
• Pitcher
• Colby Rasmus, CF

Tony likes to bat the pitcher 8th. Joe thinks this give the Cardinals 2 lead off mans. John likes how it will give Colby Rasmus some protection.

Chris Carpenter joins Hazel:

• The last 2 years have had a lot of ups and downs for Chris.
• He is excited about this year.
• Carpenter had to rehab but for the most part had a normal offseason.
• He feels like he is right where he needs to be.
• Chris is ready to pitch at the start of the regular season.
• Adam Wainwright is a smart kid that works hard and doesn't accept failure. Chris says it has been fun to watch him grow.

Possible Rotation:

• Adam Wainwright
• Kyle Lohse
• Todd Wellemyer
• Joel Pineiro
• Chris Carpenter

More on the pitching staff:

• Magrane says that Dave Duncan is one of the best pitching coaches in baseball. He thinks that Duncan being a former catcher really helps him.
• Hart says Dave is watching every pitcher he can around the league.
• Sean says that Dave Duncan has a way with game plan.
• John says that Adam Wainwright is a key to this staff. He has a good power sinker and breaking ball.
• Sean loves Todd Wellemyer. He had great stuff but did not pitch all that well for the Cubs and Royals, and then Duncan got his career back on track.
• Joel Piniero looks to improve on his 2008.

Greg and John were joined by the Cardinals GM John Mozeliak:

• Mozeliak says that teams had to make adjustments last offseason because of the economy.
• John sees the late innings improving this year.
• He says that most of the blown saves were in the first half before they brought out some young arms.
• Mozeliak says that there is a very high chance that Rasmus will make the team.
• Joe Mather and David Freese will get a lot of playing time at 3rd until Glaus comes back.
• John calls Schumaker playing second an experiment that has real legs.

The guys talk about the Cardinals outfield:

• Joe says that it is a crowded and very left handed outfield.
• Sean thinks the key is putting Schumaker at second so they can open up another spot in the outfield.
• St. Louis did a great job sticking with Ryan Ludwick, and now he puts up big numbers.
• Magrane says this team has to have good outfield defense.
• Hart likes Rasmus's range and instinct in the outfield.

Ryan Ludwick and Rick Ankiel joined Hazel:

• Ryan has taken advantage of video the last few years.
• When you go into a ball game there are to excuses.
• Rick Ankiel says Ludwick is one of the better hitters that he has seen.
• Ludwick told Mae that it is nice to have one of the best right handed hitters of all time hitting behind you.
• He calls Tony's camp extremely organized.
• It makes Rick feel good when he hears that certain guys could be the next Rick Ankiel.

More on Ryan Ludwick:

• Hart thinks Ludwick "has it figured out."
• Magrane expects even more pop and power out of Ludwick.
• Casey expects another big year for Ryan.

Albert Pujols joined Hazel:

• Albert's elbow is holding up pretty good.
• He rehabbed very hard all offseason.
• Pujols has to come to the park very early to exercise and rehab before he does any baseball activity each day.
• Albert feels great as of right now.
• He thinks that if the Cardinals stay healthy they will compete with everyone in the NL.
• All the Cardinals young guys have talent according to Pujols.
• Albert gives Ludwick all the credit for hitting well last year. He is a hard worker.
• He likes to make his teammates better in the lineup.
• Pujols thinks St. Louis will have a "pretty good year".

More on the infield:

• Casey says you could put this team on his back. He calls them one of the best hitters of this generation.
• Joe says that pitchers make mistakes to other guys in the lineup because they are already worried about Pujols.
• He hits for average, power, drives them in, and gets on base.
• John thinks Schumaker is the right kind of kid to move from the outfield to the infield.
• Magrane says footwork is so critical at second base.
• Sean says this will be huge for the offense if they can get Skip's bat in at 2B.
• Glaus is a big hit to this team according to Hart.
• David Freese is going to get a good look at 3rd.
• Brett Wallace, the 2008 first round pick, is the third baseman of the future according to Sean.

Cardinal Memories:

• Magrane calls the fans very loyal and says they are with you no matter what.
• Casey says that these fans are knowledgeable baseball fans.
• Hart says the fans great loyalty and support translates down to the players.

All-Time Team:

Starting Lineup:

• Lou Brock, OF
• Rogers Hornsby, 2B
• Albert Pujols, 1B
• Stan Musial, OF
• Joe Medwick, OF
• Ken Boyer, 3B
• Ted Simmons, C
• Ozzie Smith, SS
• Bob Gibson, P

Pitchers and Bench:

• Frankie Frisch
• Joe Torre
• Marty Marion
• Jim Edmonds
• Dizzy Dean, P
• John Tudor, P
• Bob Forsch, P
• Bruce Sutter, CL

Bob Gibson is John Hart's guy. Joe says he would run Gibson out there if there was one game he had to win.

Predictions:

• Sean- 2nd (behind the Cubs)
• Joe- 2nd
• John- 2nd

I'll recap the Reds "30 in 30" soon!

Later today I'll post the starting lineup and notes for the Cubs VS Indians game.

Brewers "30 Teams in 30 Days" Recap

I am going to post recaps of MLB Network's "30 Clubs in 30 Days" for all the other teams in the NL Central so you can get a look at the Cubs division rivals. Today we start with the Brewers.

Greg Amsinger hosted and was joined by Dan Plesac and John Hart for the Brewers season preview. Trenni Kusnierek did reporting and interviews from Spring Training in Arizona.

• John thinks that the Brewers were a great baseball story last year in their run to the postseason.
• The Brewers were 25th in MLB in batting average in 2008, 5th in HR, 4th in ERA, 6th in saves, and 8th in Opp. Average.
• Jason Kendall think Yovani Gallardo is a future Cy Young winner

Gallardo talks with Trenni:

• The off season was very hard for him.
• He has been rehabbing his knee.
• The most important thing for him is to forget about the injuries.
• He wants to get 32-34 starts and get close to that 200 inning mark this year.
• Yovani loves to hear things like what Kendall said about him.

-Kendall will not catch as many innings as he did last year.

Trevor Hoffman talks with Trenni:

• Hoffman is excited to be with a young team and have a chance to get back to the playoffs.
• He gets a sense that there is something special with the Brewers team.
• Trevor says it has been fun being the new guy on the block.
• He likes being looked at as a leader.
• It is a neat feeling to be in the Brewers clubhouse right now.

Offseason arrivals:

• Braden Looper
• Trevor Hoffman
• Chase Wright
• Jorge Julio
• Trot Nixon

Departures:

• CC Sabathia
• Ben Sheets
• Brian Shouse
• Salomon Torres
• Eric Gagne
• Guillermo Mota
• Gabe Kapler

Possible Rotation:

1. Yovani Gallardo

2. Dave Bush

3. Jeff Suppan

4. Manny Parra

5. Braden Looper

More about the pitching:

• Dan says Gallardo has the goods but has not been battle tested for 162 games.
• John says Manny Parra has really good stuff.
• Hart calls Dave Bush the stabilizer.
• Plesac thinks Braden Looper is going to be key in the rotation.
• Hoffman knows how to get it done and is a leader according to Hart. Plesac says Hoffman will use up all the rest of the gas left in the tank this year.
• John says the 7th and 8th innings are going to be big questions for the Brewers.

Trenni with Prince Fielder:

• Prince says that the fact that they clinched in the last game last year shows how every game counts.
• Fielder says it doesn't matter how you start the season, it's how you finish.
• He says "it's real cool" that he knows he is with Milwaukee for the next few years.
• The loss of CC won't hurt the team that much according to Prince.
• Fielder would love to be with the Crew for a long period of time.

Brewers possible batting order:

• Rickie Weeks, 2B
• J.J. Hardy, SS
• Ryan Braun, LF
• Prince Fielder, 1B
• Corey Hart, RF
• Bill Hall, 3B
• Mike Cameron, CF
• Jason Kendall, C

More on the infield:

• Dan doesn't think Fielder is that bad of a fielder at 1B.
• Plesac thinks Prince will get even better as he learns the league more.
• Hart thinks J.J. Hardy is very underrated.
• John thinks Weeks needs to improve his glove.
• Dan says Kendall is as tough as they come.
• Hart thinks Bill Hall is going to get a shot starting at 3B.

Greg and John were joined by Brewers GM Doug Melvin:

• CC did everything and more than what the Brewers expected.
• Doug likes the Braden Looper signing.
• The Brewers have a solid front office and the key is that they all trust each other.
• Doug gives credit to the fans for coming out and supporting the team in the years that they were not winning.
• Gallardo is a big game pitcher. Parra has a lot of physical ability.

Corey Hart joined Trenni:

• Hart doesn't want to have a bad September like he did last year.
• Corey was in the spot light for the first time and it was just a learning curve when he did not hit well in the final month of 2008.
• He always plays good defense and does not take his bat to the field or his glove to the plate.

More on the Brewer's outfield:

• John thinks Corey Hart has tons of ability.
• Plesac says Braun is the best low ball right handed hitter in the NL.
• John used one of Ron Santo's favorite words when he called Braun a "gamer."
• Cameron is the stabilizer to the outfield.

J.J. Hardy with Trenni:

• Hardy says that losing to the Phillies in the NLDS "sucked".
• J.J. says that the expectations are high again and they know what to expect this year.
• Ken Macha stresses fundamentals and those are very important.
• He is still trying to figure out how to get hot at the beginning of the year and stay hot for the whole year.

List of Brewer's homegrown players:

• Yovani Gallardo
• Manny Parra
• Prince Fielder
• Rickie Weeks
• Bill Hall
• J.J. Hardy
• Ryan Braun
• Corey Hart

More on the homegrown talent:

• Hart says this is how you win when you are a small market team.
• John says it is a tribute to the entire organization.

Top Prospects:

• Jeremy Jeffers, RHP
• Jake Oddrizzi, RHP
• Wily Peralta, RHP
• Alcides Escobar, SS
• Brett Lawrie, C
• Mat Gamel, 3B

More on those guys:

• It is not if but when for Escobar according to Hart.
• John says that Gamel is very close to the big leagues.
• Dan thinks if Jeffers takes care of his off the field issues he could be in the rotation soon. Jeffers has long term potential.
• Hart says position players are a little easier to scout and develop than pitchers.

Sausage Race

• Brett Wurst
• Stosh JonJak
• Guido (last place with only 12 wins)
• Frankie Furter (First Place, 26 wins)
• Cinco

Brewers Attendance for last 5 seasons:

• 2003- 1.7 M
• 2004- 2 M
• 2005- 2.2 M
• 2006- 2.3 M
• 2007- 2.8 M
• 2008- 3 M

Dan says Miller Park is one of the best kept secrets in MLB.

Brewers All-Time Team:

Starting Lineup:

• Paul Molitor, DH
• Robin Yount, SS
• Gorman Thomas, CF
• Prince Fielder, 1B
• Ryan Braun, LF
• B.J. Surhoff, C
• Geoff Jenkins, RF
• Jim Gantner, 2B
• Don Money, 3B

Manager- Harvey Kuenn

Pitchers and Bench:

• Ted Higuera, SP
• Dan Plesac, CL
• Ben Sheets, P
• Rolie Fingers, P
• Ted Simmons, C
• Cecil Cooper, 1B
• Jeff Cirillo, IF
• Ben Oglivie, OF

Ken Macha said that the Brewers have a great group of young guys.

Predictions:

• Dan- 2nd
• John- 4th

I'll continue my recap of the other NL Central Teams "30 Clubs in 30 Days" episodes. Up next is the Cardinals.

3 more RBIs for Hoff-POWER in loss

Final Score: Rockies 10, Cubs 6

Cubs Starting Lineup Hitting:

Miles: 3-5, 2 Runs, RBI
Kosuke: 0-3, 2 BB, Run
Hoffpauir: 2-5, 3 RBI, 2 Runs
Soto: 2-4
Fontenot: 0-2, 2 BB, RBI
R. Johnson: 0-2, 2 BB, RBI
Blanco: 0-4
Gathright: 0-4
Dempster: 1-3, Run

I want to see Joey Gathright's Batting Average increase. He is now hitting just .244. Kosuke is hitting .143, which was about the average he had in the second half last year. In my opinion if Kosuke doesn't hit good in the final week, Johnson should play center on Opening Day.

Cubs Pitchers:
Dempster: 6 IP, 8 H, 3 BB, 4 ER
Samardzija: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 ER
Wells: 0.2 IP, 5 H, 5 ER
Hart: 0.1 IP, 2 H, 1 ER

Dempster was not himself today. Hopefully he looks better in his final spring tune-up next week. Jeff Samardzija worked a 1, 2, 3 inning. Randy Wells could get cut from the team as soon as tomorrow or Monday.

Cubs Hitters off the Bench:
Bako: 1-1
Snyder: 0-1
German: 0-1

My Player of the Game: Micah Hoffpauir for his 2 out, 3-run homer. Hoff-POWER also doubled.

Game Highlight: Randy Wells blew the game by allowing 5 runs in the 8th.

Former Cub Glendon Rusch pitched 1.1 shutout innings for the Rockies, and Matt Murton went 0-1.

Up Next: Cubs VS Indians tomorrow at 3:05 CT on WGN Radio. Ted Lilly will pitch for the Cubs tomorrow.

In the Regular Season, this blog will feature:

• Game recaps that tell more about the game highlights and focus on the outcome of the game instead of individual performances.
• A Look at the week it was each Saturday.
• A Look at the week ahead each Sunday.
• Previews and game notes before some of the games.
• Radio Recaps.
• All news and rumors and always.
• And More!

Things that I don't like about the batting order that it looks like Lou will use:

• Theriot should hit second! He was 6th in the league in batting average a year ago!
• Kosuke should hit 7th! I understand breaking up the right handed bats, but come on, Fukudome should not hit second!
• Lee should not hit 3rd! He hits into too many double plays! Put Ramirez 3rd!
• Soto should be moved up in the order!

This should be an interesting week!

Lou said that the 25-man roster will be set going into New York. That means that he has until Thursday to get it sorted out:

• Will Bako or Hill be the backup catcher?
• Are the Cubs keeping 12 pitchers?
• We know Zambrano, Dempster, Lilly, Marshall, Harden, Heilman, Cotts, Marmol, and Gregg. But who are the other 3 pitchers?
• Guys vying for the bullpen: Chad Gaudin, Luis Vizcaino, David Patton, Jeff Samardzija, and Angel Guzman. Chad Fox, Kevin Hart, and Randy Wells are most likely headed back to AAA.
• Could the Cubs keep So Taguchi instead of Joey Gathright? Bruce Miles mentioned this and I find it very interesting. One of the reporters should ask Lou if Gathright is a lock to make the team.
• What will the Cubs do with the 3 empty spots on the 40-man roster?
• Will the Cubs try to trade Angel Guzman, Luis Vizcaino, and/or Chad Gaudin if they don't make the team?

We will also find out who the closer is tomorrow. It should be a fun week!

A few more Notes...

• Sean Marshall and Chad Gaudin had side sessions in Mesa.
• Chad Fox, Kevin Gregg, and Luis Vizcaino pitched in a minor league game.
• Jason Marquis will be either the 3rd or 4th starter for the Rockies.

I'll keep you posted.

Cubs VS Rockies

It's the Cubs VS Rockies coming up at 3:05 CT. The game is on WGN Radio. Here is the Cubs starting lineup:
SS Miles
CF Kosuke
1B Hoffpauir
C Soto
3B Fontenot
RF Johnson
2B Blanco
LF Gathright
P Dempster

Lou did not make the trip to Tuscan because he is not feeling well.

The Cubs closer will be named tomorrow according to Carrie Muskat.

Should be interesting!

Marmol, Cotts, and Heilman threw in a minor league game yesterday.

By the way- Judd Sirott has gotten the job as the new pre/post host, 5th innings, and scoreboard guy for Cubs games on WGN Radio. He will replace Cory Provus with Pat and Ron.
"I don't care who wins as long as it's the Cubs"

40-man Roster Cut Down to 37 and Other Notes

• Brad Snyder has been removed from the 40-man roster.
• The umpires asked both managers if they could stop yesterday's game early because of the wind and both teams were fined with it.
• Lou will not hold Carlos Marmol's outing against him because of the winds last night.
• Piniella told Len and Bob that he is going to play Kosuke as much as he can in center field the next week or so.
• Lou loves the intensity he is seeing from Milton Bradley.
• He wants to see Kosuke hit the ball to all fields this year.
• The Cubs are going to announce the closer on Sunday and the backup up catcher is close to being decided also. Lou told Bob he get tired of being asked about these things.
• It sounds like the Cubs coaches are having a hard time deciding who to keep in the bullpen.
• Piniella almost used the DH today because they wanted Reed Johnson to face left handed pitching. Then Lou realized that Big Z was pitching and said he would have had a nightmare on his hands if he didn't let Zambrano hit.

Next Saturday night Cubs forever will play on WGN at 7:00 PM CT. The Randy Hundley Fantasy Camp show will play at 9:30. These are both great Cubs specials, so if you have not seen them yet you should check them out.

The most interesting think in the notes today is the fact that the Cubs have removed Brad Snyder from the 40-man roster. They removed Robnett earlier this week. Are the Cubs planning to make a few signings or maybe a trade???

We can only wait and see!