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Ted Terrific
Lilly Rocks, But Cubs Get Rolled 6-1
Kirby Lee/US PRESSWIRE
So we're watching the game last night. It's tied 0-0. We go into the kitchen for a few minutes, come back to the TV, and it's 6-0. What the...? Don't blame Ted Lilly, who was solid in what might be his last game for the Cubs. He struck out eight and pitched 5 2/3 shutout innings. The problem came in the seventh, when reliever Andrew Cashner decided to hit not one, but two batters. Oh, and then there was Lance Berkman's grand slam. Any good news? Well, Tyler Colvin hit his 16th homer. Hooray.
ESPN Chicago: Berkman's slam, Myers' 12-K complete game key... [+ video]
Chicago Tribune: Myers outshines Lilly in showcase game
Daily Herald: Cubs lose what may be Ted Lilly's swan song
MLB: Cubs can't back Lilly's scoreless start
All Apologies, Pt. II
Zambrano Again Apologizes... Again, Not to Team
So let's make sure we have this right. After his freakout, Carlos Zambrano was suspended and sent to some vague treatment program. The next step was for him to apologize to the team. Instead, he apologized to Pedro Gomez of ESPN. Everyone got all irate, so Zambrano tried to do "damage control of damage control," as Bruce Miles said. To fix things, he talked to his teammates, right? Nope — he talked to Carrie Muskat, the Cubs beat writer from MLB.com. That sound you hear is our eyes rolling back into our head.
Daily Herald: Big Z doing damage control of damage control
MLB: Big Z eager to apologize to teammates
Chicago Sun-Times: Cubs still awaiting that talk with 'Z'
Assume the Position
Are Cubs Ruining Prospects by Playing Them out of Position?
After drafting busts like Luis Montanez and Bobby Brownlie (and Ryan Harvey and... well, you get the idea) the Cubs' farm system seems to be improving dramatically. There's just one problem, Another Cubs Blog says: The team is ruining potential stars by playing them out of position. Double-A centerfielder Brett Jackson, for instance, looks like a stud, but he's now being played in right field. (He's also a member of the Reggie Cleveland All-Stars.) Andrew Cashner was being groomed to become a starter, but he's currently a reliever. Discuss.
Another Cubs Blog: Cubs continue to minimize prospect value
Waive Goodbye
Cubs Should Just Release Zambrano, Trib Says
What should the Cubs do with Carlos Zambrano? Should they hope he's mellowed and pitches well, then try to trade him in the off-season? Should they hold onto him until his contract is up? Both make sense... unless you're the Trib's Steve Rosenbloom. The well-rehearsed curmudgeon says Zambrano's apology to ESPN — and not his teammates — is the last straw, and that Tom Ricketts should release Zambrano. Booting Big Z "would be a sign of what is expected and what won't be tolerated from players," Rosenbloom writes. To each his own, we guess.
Rosenblog: Zambrano's lack of respect is an opportunity...
Managing Expectations
Tide Turns Against Sandberg as Next Cubs' Manager
There wasn't much about the Cubs' managerial search that really intrigued us... until we read Bruce Miles' blog about momentum turning against Ryne Sandberg. Baseball savant Ken Rosenthal said picking Sandberg "would be a mistake." Then Andre Dawson seemed to lean against Ryno, saying there's a big difference between the majors and minors. He also praised Joe Girardi, calling him "one of the players I admired and respected." As Miles said, Sandberg has done everything the Cubs have asked and has a "pretty good case." Stay tuned.
Daily Herald: Aramis, trade talk, Ryno, minors
Carlos Zambrano gave up three runs in one inning last night in Albuquerque... Geovany Soto could be out again today with a bruised foot... Eight scouts from other teams were at last night's game... The 'burbs will be rocking on Friday: Celebrate the one-year anniversary of 670 The Score's "The Danny Mac Show" at Durty Nellies in Palatine with Tributosaurus (if you've never seen them, trust us: they're awesome).
"The next person Carlos Zambrano should apologize to is Milton Bradley, because Z never warned him he was vying for Bradley's title of Most Dysfunctional Man in Baseball."
-Tony Delgado
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