Snobs vs. Slobs

I love him now.

Player A
Career OPS: .644
Player B
Career OPS: .804

The first guy wasn’t just starting last night, but led off the whole damned game. Dewayne Wise is not a major league player, no less a leadoff hitter in the fight for the Sox’ playoff lives.

Nick Swisher, on the other hand, was forced into pinch-hitting duties. Good work on hamstringing your team, Ozzie.

(Photo from The Boston Globe)

It was picture perfect, save for one thing. Keep up your Internet-injury ways. You remain a favorite of Cub and non-Cub fans alike. To quote a great man:

Carlos Zambrano reminds us all that baseball is meant to be fun, and that it’s most fun to watch players who love to play the game as much as we fans love to watch it.

Carlos Zambrano pitched a no-hitter tonight, a 5-0 victory over the Astros. The game was played at Miller Park in Thrillwaukee instead of Minute Maid Park in Houston because of Hurrican Ike. That is pretty sweet. Zambrano struck out 10, walked 1, hit 1, but only faced 28 batters because of a double play. Zambrano is the first Cubs pitcher to throw a no-hitter since Milt Pappas did it in 1972. Poor Milt Pappas; no longer will he be the answer to a trivia question.

I do worry about Zambrano pitching 110 pitches after his recent arm troubles, although for a 9 inning game that is not THAT much. I didn’t watch the game, so it may be more important that he wasn’t laboring than the actual pitch count. But still.

On a sidenote, Drayton McClane and the Houston Astros can suck it. Hate the Astros. I hope the people of Houston are recovering okay from Hurricane Ike, and that Drayton McClane gets his comeuppance for caring more about the prospects of his shitty baseball team than the city of Houston. How inappropriate would it have been if the Astros had demanded that the games be played in Houston admist the damage of the storm. Ugh, Drayton McClane. You suck.

All of a sudden, after 5 months of spectacular baseball, the Cubs are in a dill of a pickle. They have now lost five in a row, being swept at home by the Houston Astros (who were actually one of the few teams possibly hotter than the Cubs when they came into Chicago), and now Carlos Zambrano is injured (and acting crazy) and Rich Harden has some discomfort as well. Oh well. (more…)

I am watching the Cubs-Astros game right now. Bobby Howry just gave up 3 runs without getting a man out in the top of the 6th. Reggie Abercrombie drew a walk while trying to bunt. I think we can agree that all of these things are bad. But you know what stupid Cub fans, don’t fucking boo Bobby Howry. (more…)

From the Sox’ transaction wire, Sept. 2:

Activated pitcher Scott Linebrink from the 15-day disabled list; recalled pitchers Mike MacDougal and Ehren Wassermann and outfielder Jerry Owens from Charlotte of the International League (AAA); purchased the contract of catcher Paul Phillips from Charlotte; transferred pitcher Jose Contreras to the 60-day disabled list.

And so we begin another September. Unlike the last ocuple of years, the month of Labor Day is not solely a “cup of coffee” period of the season for the Sox. The Sox are steeped in a pennant race with the hated Twins and have a need to get healthy. So, let’s take a look, player-by-player, as to who is up with the big club: (more…)