Ex-Cub Update
I gave up on the Cubs early this season and thankfully did not have the time or interest to watch the games this weekend against the White Sox. Saturday’s debacle sounds like it was a real soul-crushing affair for the North Side, but what else is new? I don’t even know who to blame since I have detached myself from the misery, but I was glancing at the sports section today and happened to notice what a few former Cubs were doing for their teams this year. At the halfway mark of the season, almost, I present the ex-Cub Update, an insight into what happens when a player leaves Wrigleyville for greener pastures.
The most glaring ex-Cub is Los Angeles Dodger Nomar Garciapparra, who is batting .361 at first base and generally doing everything that he didn’t while wearing a Cub uniform. It’s a prime example of a great player who comes to Wrigley and becomes a shadow of his former self. What is it, the day games? Is everyone getting drunk at night and showing up hungover?
Ex-Cub and now Texas Ranger Gary Matthews, Jr., whose dad still coaches for the Cubs I think, is hitting .334 and even little Corey Patterson is hitting .284 for the Baltimore Orioles, which is light years away from his sick performance as a Cub.
Old men Moises Alou and Kenny Lofton are still going strong, years after the Cubs let them go, hitting .311 and .293 respectively, and boy would it be nice to have them around these days, even if they weren’t playing every day. And you may remember Tom Gordon blowing saves for the Cubs back in the day but now he’s got 21 for the Phillies. Joe Borowski has 15 for the Marlins, compared to the imploding Ryan Dempster, who has 12 and is quickly losing confidence.
I’m sure there are more out there but I can’t bear to investigate any further. As Kerry Wood quietly fades away and Mark Prior wonders where his game went, the window has long since closed on the 2003 team that came within 5 outs of the World Series. It’s time to close up the Tribune Co. Era, sell the team to Mark Cuban and move on.
And it makes me wonder how great Matt Murton will eventually be when the Cubs trade him to some American League team.
Just finished reading the Trib article today on Patterson. 284? 30 stolen bases? What the fuck are the Flubs doing to their players? Perhaps its just the fact that Chicago is a huge market, whose players scrutinized on an hourly basis. But if thats the case, how come the Sox are on their way to another fantastic season? Eh, they should tear down the Cubs completly and rebuild from scratch…with the manager and coaches the first to go.