Chicago Sports Then and Now

On Thursday, the Cubs and closer Carlos Marmol agreed to terms on a one-year, $2.125 million deal for the 2010 season, a payraise of over $1.5 million from 2009.  The agreed upon figure was the exact midpoint between Marmol’s asking price of $2.5 million and the Cubs’ original offer of $1.75 million.

Marmol is happy about his new deal

Marmol was named the club’s closer in August of last year, going 11-for-11 in save opportunities and leading the team with 27 holds for the season.  He will likely not have to compete for the job this season, as former closer Kevin Gregg was not offered a new deal and signed with the Toronto Blue Jays.

Marmol becomes the seventh arbitration-eligible Cub to re-sign before reaching a hearing, with infielders Jeff Baker and Mike Fontenot, catcher Koyie Hill, right-handed pitcher Angel Guzman and left-handed pitcher Tom Gorzelanny agreeing earlier in January, and left-handed pitcher Sean Marshall agreeing to a $950,000 deal last week.

With those players signed, the only outstanding arbitration-eligble player for the Cubs is shortstop Ryan Theriot.   Theriot is asking for $3.4 million in 2010, while the Cubs have countered with $2.6 million.  Either way, “Riot” will be getting a significant raise from his 2009 salary of $500,000.  If it gets to that point, the hearing will take place sometime before February 21.   Read the rest of this entry →

Cubs fans will be seeing a lot of that image

The Cubs’ playoff hopes for the next few seasons took a major hit on Tuesday when the St. Louis Cardinals re-signed left fielder Matt Holliday to the richest deal in their history.  Holliday, who hit .353 with 13 homers and 55 RBIs in 63 games with St. Louis last season, signed a 7-year, $120 million deal, the biggest contract this offseason by nearly $40 million.

In an offseason full of little moves made by the Cubs, the Cardinals outdid them with one big one, as they secured themselves protection for the best hitter in baseball for the better part of the new decade.  The Cubs cannot be considered favorites to win the NL Central in 2010 or 2011 now, as St. Louis’ core of Pujols, Carpenter, Wainwright and now Holliday are locked up through then.

While the Cubs’ 1-2 punches of Lee and Ramirez and Zambrano and Dempster are solid, they are no match for what the Cardinals now have to offer.  So while the next two seasons on the North Side will likely be a competition for the NL Wild Card, there is reason to be optimistic for the future.  Two main reasons stand out: Read the rest of this entry →

In 2005 the White Sox claimed the first World Series title for the city since 1917.

With the first decade of the 21st Century coming to a close, we look back at 10 memorable sports moments for Chicago area sports teams during the last 10 years.

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(10) Cub –Yankee Game—June 7, 2003
In interleague play, the Yankees return to Wrigley Field for the first time since the 1938 World Series. The atmosphere at the ballpark is electric, as Kerry Wood outduels  Roger Clemens to secure a Cub victory.

(9) Bulls-Celtics Playoff Series-April -May, 2009
The Bulls surprise the defending NBA champion Boston Celtics in the first round of the playoffs with their tenacious play and amazing  shooting  accuracy. The teams set an NBA record playing four overtime games in a playoff round, but eventually Boston triumphs in game seven to win the series. Read the rest of this entry →

It's tough to see him go...

One year after an offseason filled with all the wrong moves, the Chicago Cubs have started this one off on a much better foot.  On Thursday, the Cubs made their latest offseason transaction by trading INF Aaron Miles and 3B/OF Jake Fox to the Oakland A’s for RHP Jeff Gray and two prospects.

Last July, just before my time as a Chicago ST&N writer, I proposed the idea of trading Fox for bullpen help while his value was highest and the team was in desperate need of another arm.  Fox has a great bat and lots of potential, but with no natural position in the field, his future is with an American League club where he can play everyday as a designated hitter.

GM Jim Hendry had the following to say about Fox: “We feel we maximized his value in the trade, but we’re giving Jake the opportunity to be an everyday player in the American League as a first baseman, [designated hitter], and corner position that we don’t have available with Derrek [Lee] and [Aramis Ramirez] and [Alfonso] Soriano.”

While it’s unfortunate to see Fox go, the trade allowed Hendry to unload the $1.7 million dead weight that is Aaron Miles.  Last season, Miles batted a career-low .185 with no home runs and 5 RBIs, and was less useful on offense than Carlos Zambrano.  Miles was versatile in the field, but with Ryan Theriot, Mike Fontenot, Jeff Baker and Andres Blanco capable of playing the middle infield positions, there was really no spot for someone who can hit about as well as I can. Read the rest of this entry →

Big Z is here to stay

In the wake of the Milton Bradley fiasco and resulting trade rumors, another name that has popped up in the rumor mill is Cubs starter Carlos Zambrano.   Zambrano, who signed a 5-year $91.5 million extension during the 2007 season, has been mentioned by multiple media outlets as a potential trade item for the Cubs.

Not that the Cubs would ever entertain trading Zambrano, but in case they did, his performance Friday night in San Francisco is every reason why they should forget the idea.

When in control of his emtotions, Zambrano is one of the best pitchers in the game.  He might be just 9-6 on the season, but his ERA is just 3.69.  He has allowed more than 3 ER in a start just 5 times on the season, and 3 of those have been in Cubs victories. Read the rest of this entry →

It's been a wild ride Rich...

When the Chicago Cubs acquired Rich Harden just over 13 months ago, the initial reaction by many Cubs fans, including myself, was elation mixed with apprehension.  Harden gave the Cubs a top of the line ace to complement Carlos Zambrano in the starting rotation, but also a pitcher with a history of injury that was all too familiar to the Northsiders and their fans.

On Thursday, the Cubs announced that Harden will miss his next start and “probably” at least one more, leading many to believe that he is done for the season.  Harden has pitched extremely well at times, with no-hitter type stuff, but other times, including Wednesday night, he has looked lost on the mound and given up massive rallies that are nearly impossible to come back from. Read the rest of this entry →