Bleacher Feature
Should Cubs Dramatically Change the Bleachers?

Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images

To some, the Wrigley Field bleachers are a utopian spot where fans can relax and watch baseball while spending an idyllic day in the sun. To others, though, the bleachers are massive frat party filled with halter-top-clad bimbos and shirtless jags and who drink, fight, gab on cellphones, and drink some more. Bleed Cubbie Blue leans toward the latter camp, calling the bleachers "out of control" and a "drunken bleacher party" and saying big changes need to be made. The blog suggests hiring more security, eliminating college discount nights, and limiting beer sales. Hmm.

Bleed Cubbie Blue: The Wrigley Field bleachers are out of control...

Save It for Later
Should Piniella Only Let Marmol Pitch the Ninth Inning?
If you listen to sports-talk radio a lot, and we do, you've probably heard people rail on Piniella for using Marmol for longer than one inning. Pitching longer wears him down, and the wait between innings makes him less effective in the ninth, the thinking goes. Another Cubs Blog dives wayyy deep into the numbers, using terms like "FIP" and "standard deviation" and such. After examining all of Marmol's two-inning appearances, the blog finds no statistically significant difference between the eighth and ninth innings and concludes Marmol "has only been slightly more effective in first innings of his appearances."

Another Cubs Blog: Marmol, Ramirez, Fukudome, fire everybody and...

Turn that Frown Upside-Down
Fifteen Reasons Why the Cubs Season Isn't So Bad. Har har.
We can think of several reasons this Cubs season is disappointing so far, mainly summarized by this figure: 15-20. But the Trib has come up with 15 reasons to be grateful for the North Siders' summer. We were excited to read it... until we saw it's a jokey list with entries like "Lou Piniella hasn't opened a Twitter account," "No one has been tased on the field," and "The Blackhawks' playoff run will divert attention from Aramis Ramirez's strikeout rate." On the outside, we laugh. Inside, we cry a single tear.

Chicago Breaking Sports: For Cubs fans, it's not all gloom and doom

Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes
Looking at Piniella's 'Adjustments' So Far This Season
You can blame Piniella for a lot of things this year, but you can't accuse him of being lazy. With all of the changes to the batting order, bullpen, and roster, Sweet Lou has done his damndest to turn this team around. The Daily Herald notes some of the moves have paid off, as the bullpen hasn't blown a lead since April 18 and Derrek Lee went 4-for-8 after being moved down in the order. On the other hand, Starlin Castro has made five errors in six games and the team has gone 2-4 since he came up for the May 7 game.

Daily Herald: Taking a second look at adjustments made by Cubs

Golden Domer Stops Giving up Homers
Samardzija's Back and There's Gonna Be Trouble (hey la...)
Wouldn't it be awesome if a guy came out of nowhere and started tearing it up in the Cubs' bullpen? And wouldn't it be awesome if that guy were a former first-round pick who put it all together after scuffling between the minors and the majors? And wouldn't it be awesome if we stopped asking hypothetical questions? Jeff Samardzija is pitching well for Iowa lately, notching a 3-0 record and a 1.13 ERA. "My arm feels good," he says. "That's the biggest thing. It's really coming around to midseason form." Cross your fingers....

Las Vegas Review-Journal: Ex-Notre Dame star gets back to basics

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