MVC Update: May 30th, 2008

Just to remind you, here is a brief description of MVC and how the points system works:

For the 2008 season, I decided to come up with a way to decide who will be the Most Valuable Chicago Cub or MVC. Being the most valuable player is different from being the best player. You have to play great in key situations and be one of the main reasons your team won that day. The player with the best stats is not always MVP. For example, say Player A goes 3 for 4 with 2 doubles. Pretty good right? But what if he got all 3 hits with the bases empty and he never scored? Those 3 hits were a waste. Now how about Player B who goes 1 for 4 with a single but that single scores the final two runs and the team wins by one run? Player B in my mind is the MVP because his single won the game for the team. What I have done so far is pick a MVC for each Cubs game that the Cubs win. Occasionally I'll pick a MVC in an extra innings loss but not always. If the Cubs lose by 7 runs, obviously it is gonna be hard to pick a MVC so there will be game in which I don't pick a MVC. Because baseball is a team sport, here is how I will award points to players: 3 points for game’s MVC, 2 points for 2nd best impact, and 1 point for 3rd best impact.

Season Standings:

Carlos Zambrano +25
Derrek Lee +23
Ryan Dempster +20
Alfonso Soriano +20
Geovany Soto +16
Aramis Ramirez +15
Kosuke Fukudome +13
Ted Lilly +12
Reed Johnson +8
Jon Lieber +7
Ronny Cedeno +7
Mark DeRosa +7
Jason Marquis +6
Carlos Marmol +6
Sean Gallagher +5
Ryan Theriot +4
Rich Hill +4
Kerry Wood +3
Mike Fontenot +3
Daryle Ward +3
Felix Pie +2
Scott Eyre +1

Season Winners:

Zambrano +6
Soriano +5
Dempster +4
Soto +4
Lee +3
Fukudome +2
Lilly +2
Marquis +2
Lieber +1
Hill +1
Ramirez +1
Theriot +1
Fontenot +1
Ward +1
Gallagher +1

May 26--Dodgers @ Cubs: W 3-1
MVC: Ryan Dempster

1. Dempster +3
2. Lee +2
3. Ramirez +1

May 27--Dodgers @ Cubs: W 3-1
MVC: Sean Gallagher

1. Gallagher +3
2. Ramirez +2
3. Marmol +1

May 28—Dodgers @ Cubs: W 2-1
MVC: Alfonso Soriano

Soriano +3
Zambrano +2
Soto +1

May 29—Rockies @ Cubs: W 8-4
MVC: Geovany Soto

Soto +3
Marmol +2
Soriano +1

National League All Star Candidate: Ryan Dempster

Believe it or not Chicago Cubs former closer, now current starter Ryan Dempster could make the all star game. In fact if he continues to play well, he should be an all star.

Look at where Dempster ranks among NL starters in numerous statistical categories:

• Tied for 7th in wins (6)


• 4th in ERA (2.56)


• 5th in WHIP (1.09)


• 2nd in H/9 (6.14)


• 1st in opponent AVG (.189)

Dempster is even 12th in strikeouts with 56 Ks and Dempster isn't really a great strikeout pitcher (his K/9 is 23rd in the NL).

Last season the NL all star team had seven starting pitchers on their roster. So I will take seven of the NL's best starters (in no particular order) and compare them to Dempster:

Stats are through May 26, 2008:

1. Brandon Webb- 9-2 3.01 ERA 74.2 IP 64 K 1.10 WHIP .221 BAA


2. Carlos Zambrano- 7-1 2.47 ERA 73.0 IP 52 K 1.18 WHIP .241 BAA


3. Tim Lincecum- 6-1 2.17 ERA 62.1 IP 69 K 1.28 WHIP .240 BAA


4. Edinson Vólquez- 7-2 1.31 ERA 62 IP 76 K 1.28 WHIP .194 BAA


5. Tim Hudson- 7-3 2.97 ERA 69.2 IP 42 K 1.05 WHIP .227 BAA


6. Aaron Cook- 7-3 2.82 ERA 76.2 IP 35 K 1.20 WHIP .251 BAA


7. Ben Sheets- 5-1 2.93 ERA 67.2 IP 55 K 1.06 WHIP .233 BAA

---------------------------

Ryan Dempster- 6-1 2.56 ERA 70.1 IP 56 K 1.09 WHIP .189 BAA

There are other NL starters who also have a good chance to make the team (Johan Santana, Dan Haren, Cole Hamels, Jake Peavy), but I want to pick the best pitchers right now.

Here are Dempster's ranks when included with the seven pitchers:

• Tied for 6th in wins


• 4th in ERA


• 4th in strikeouts


• 4th in innings pitched


• 3rd in WHIP


• 1st in BAA

The pitcher in the NL with arguably the most buzz right now is Webb. The only categories Webb leads Dempster in are wins, IP, and Ks. Wins are based a lot on how much run support you get, IP are important but not a stat usually looked at when selecting an all star team, and Ks are important but it doesn't really matter how you get outs because a groundout can be just as good a strikeout. Dempster leads Webb in all the categories that really matter: ERA, WHIP, and BAA. I'm not saying that Dempster is going to win the NL Cy Young Award because there are pitchers who are pitching better than Dempster, but he definitely should right now be considered for the NL all star team. Every team needs to be represented which could hurt Dempster's chances especially if Zambrano of the Cubs makes the team, but right now it is hard to list reasons why Dempster should not make the all star team.

Classic Chicago Sports Video: Mike Ditka singing the 7th inning stretch at Wrigley Field

Even with many Chicago pro teams, there will be many times when there will be nothing worth blogging about. Either that or I'll be too busy (lazy is probably a better word) to write something. So, once in a while I'll make a video post of a classic Chicago sports moment. The first of many to come will be Ex-Chicago Bears coach Mike Ditka singing "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" at Wrigley Field during a Chicago Cubs game. Just the fact that he is the great Mike Dikta is reason enough for this video to be special, but this rendition of "Take Me Out of the Ballpark" is one of the worst Wrigley Field has ever heard....and I say one of the worst only because Ozzy Osborne's singing might have been slightly worse. I'll just say Mike Ditka wouldn't go far if he was a contestant on American Idol.

Without no more introduction, here is Mike Ditka as the Cubs guest conductor of the 7th inning stretch:

Soriano's dropped ball brings back memories of Brant Brown

Yesterday, the Chicago Cubs lost 6-5 to the Pittsburgh Pirates in 11 innings. The Cubs had a 5-4 lead with two outs in the ninth inning but Cubs left fielder Alfonso Soriano dropped a fly ball allowing the Pirates to tie the game.

Soriano said after the game, “It hit in my glove but I didn’t see the ball. I see very clearly when it got off the bat, but when the ball’s coming down it’s getting in the sun, so I lose it.”

Cubs fans have seen this before. On September 23, 1998, Cubs outfielder Brant Brown dropped a fly ball allowing the Milwaukee Brewers to win (link for video clip of the error is at the end of this post).

From http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/baseball/mlb/news/1998/09/23/cubs_brewers/:

Brant Brown drifted back in left field for the final easy out, sunglasses down to shield him from the glare of the late-afternoon sun. The ball landed right on his glove, drawing cheers from the Chicago fans. But the shouts of joy quickly turned to gasps as the ball dropped to the ground, possibly taking the Cubs' playoff hopes right along with it.

The Milwaukee Brewers scored three runs on Brown's error for an 8-7 victory Wednesday

"I don't know how to explain it," said Brown, who went to left field in the eighth inning as a defensive replacement. "The bottom line is I clanked it and we lost the game. You can say the wind, you can say the sun, but those are elements you play with every day. Hopefully, it doesn't cost us that much."

With a 7-5 lead in the ninth, Rod Beck (3-3) loaded the bases with one out. Beck gave up a single to Mark Loretta and a double to Jeff Cirillo, and then intentionally walked Jeromy Burnitz to pitch to Marquis Grissom. After Grissom popped up, Geoff Jenkins hit the fateful fly ball.

Here is a clip of that play with thanks to a Cubs.com Message Board poster for finding it.

Also, I have to include an audio clip of Ron Santo's famous "OH NO!!" call.

Most Valuable Cub Update!

Just to remind you, here is a brief description of MVC and how the points system works:

For the 2008 season, I decided to come up with a way to decide who will be the Most Valuable Chicago Cub or MVC. Being the most valuable player is different from being the best player. You have play great in key situations and be one of the main reasons your team won that day. The player with the best stats is not always MVP. For example, say Player A goes 3 for 4 with 2 doubles. Pretty good right? But what if he got all 3 hits with the bases empty and he never scored? Those 3 hits were a waste. Now how about Player B who goes 1 for 4 with a single but that single scores the final two runs and the team wins by one run? Player B in my mind is the MVP because his single won the game for the team. What I have done so far is pick a MVC for each Cubs game that the Cubs win. Occasionally I'll pick a MVC in an extra innings loss but not always. If the Cubs lose by 7 runs, obviously it is gonna be hard to pick a MVC so there will be game in which I don't pick a MVC. Because baseball is a team sport, here is how I will award points to players: 3 points for game’s MVC, 2 points for 2nd best impact, and 1 point for 3rd best impact.

Season Standings:

Carlos Zambrano +23
Derrek Lee +21
Ryan Dempster +17
Alfonso Soriano +16
Kosuke Fukudome +13
Aramis Ramirez +12
Ted Lilly +12
Geovany Soto +12
Reed Johnson +8
Jon Lieber +7
Ronny Cedeno +7
Mark DeRosa +7
Jason Marquis +6
Ryan Theriot +4
Rich Hill +4
Kerry Wood +3
Mike Fontenot +3
Daryle Ward +3
Carlos Marmol +3
Felix Pie +2
Sean Gallagher +2
Scott Eyre +1

Season Winners:

Zambrano +6
Soriano +4
Lee +3
Dempster +3
Fukudome +2
Soto +3
Lilly +2
Marquis +2
Lieber +1
Hill +1
Ramirez +1
Theriot +1
Fontenot +1
Ward +1

March 31, 2008- Brewers @ Cubs: L 3-4
MVC of the game: Fukudome

Fukudome +3
Zambrano +2
Marmol +1

April 3, 2008- Brewers @ Cubs: W 6-3
MVC of the game: Ryan Dempster

Dempster +3

Fukudome +2

Ramirez +1

April 5th, 2008- Astros @ Cubs: W 9-7
MVC of the game: Derrek Lee

Lee +3
Fukudome +2
Johnson +1

April 6th, 2008 – Astros @ Cubs: W 3-2
MVC: Carlos Zambrano

Zambrano +3
Lee +2
Wood +1


April 7th, 2008 – Cubs @ Pirates: W 10-8
MVC: Jon Lieber

Lieber +3
Ramirez +2
Cedeno +1

April 9-- Cubs @ Pirates: W 6-4

MVC: Dempster

1. Ryan Dempster +3

2. Felix Pie +2

3. Reed Johnson +1

April 10-- Cubs @ Pirates: W 7-3

MVC: Soto

1. Geovany Soto +3

2. Jon Lieber +2

3. Derrek Lee +1

April 13—Cubs @ Phillies: W 6-5

MVC: Lee

1. Lee +3

2. Wood +2

3. Zambrano +1

April 15—Reds @ Cubs: W 9-5
MVC: Lee

Lee +3
Dempster +2
DeRosa +1

April 16—Reds @ Cubs: W 12-3
MVC: Fukudome

Fukudome: +3
Zambrano: +2
Lee: +1

April 18—Pirates @ Cubs: W 3-2
MVC: Rich Hill

Rich Hill +3
Kosuke Fukudome +2
Mark DeRosa +1

April 19—Pirates @ Cubs: W 13-1
MVC: Jason Marquis

Marquis +3
Lee +2
DeRosa +1

April 20—Pirates @ Cubs: W 13-6
MVC: Aramis Ramirez

Ramirez +3
Dempster +2
Theriot +1

April 21—Mets @ Cubs: W 7-1
MVC: Zambrano

Zambrano +3
Ramirez +2
Cedeno +1

April 22—Mets @ Cubs: W 8-1
MVC: Ted Lilly

Lilly +3
Cedeno +2
Fukudome +1

April 23—Cubs @ Rockies: W 7-6
MVC: Theriot

Theriot +3
Ramirez +2
Hill +1

April 26—Cubs @ Nationals: W 7-0
MVC: Carlos Zambrano

Zambrano +3
Lee +2
Johnson +1

April 30—Brewers @ Cubs: W 19-5
MVC: Geovany Soto

Geovany Soto +3
Ryan Dempster +2
Mark DeRosa +1

May 2—Cubs @ Cardinals: L 3-5
MVC: Alfonso Soriano
Soriano +3
Lieber +2
Soto +1

May 3—Cubs @ Cardinals: W 9-3
MVC: Mike Fontenot

Fontenot +3
Lilly +2
Soto +1

May 6—Cubs @ Reds: W 3-0
MVC: Zambrano

Zambrano +3
Cedeno +2
Ramirez +1

May 9—D-Backs @ Cubs: W 3-1
MVC: Ted Lilly

Ted Lilly +3
Alfonso Soriano +2
Mark DeRosa +1

May 10—D-Backs @ Cubs: W 7-2
MVC: Alfonso Soriano
Soriano +3
Dempster +2
Eyre +1

May 11—D-Backs @ Cubs: W 6-4
MVC: Daryle Ward

Ward +3
Johnson +2
Lee +1

May 12—Padres @ Cubs: W 12-3
MVC: Carlos Zambrano

Zambrano +3
Soriano +2
Lee +1

May 14, 2008--Padres @ Cubs: W 8-5
MVC; Alfonso Soriano

1. Soriano +3
2. Lilly +2
3. Soto +1

May 15, 2008--Padres @ Cubs: W 4-0
MVC: Ryan Dempster

1. Dempster +3
2. Lee +2
3. Cedeno +1


May 16—Pirates @ Cubs: W 7-4
MVC: Alfonso Soriano

Soriano +3
Gallagher +2
DeRosa +1

May 18—Pirates @ Cubs: W 4-3
MVC: Jason Marquis

Jason Marquis +3
Carlos Marmol +2
Reed Johnson +1

May 19—Cubs @ Astros: W 7-2
MVC: Geovany Soto

Soto +3
Lilly +2
Ramirez +1

May 23—Cubs @ Pirates: W 12-3
MVC: Carlos Zambrano

Zambrano +3
Johnson +2
DeRosa +1

Hey The Bulls Have a Postseason Win!

Chicago Bulls fans are partying like it's 1999.

Last Tuesday, the Bulls won the NBA Draft Lottery and has the #1 overall pick in the NBA Draft for the 1st time since 1999 when they drafted Elton Brand. If the Bulls keep the pick, they will either draft Derrick Rose, a 6-3 point guard from Memphis University, or Michael Beasley, a 6-9 power forward out of Kansas State University. Who should the Bulls pick? It's a no-brainer for me: Rose. It has little to do with the fact he's a Chicago kid. The Bulls are lacking a true point guard. I can't even remember the last time we had a real point guard. Even in the Jordan era, Ron Harper was really a shooting guard but had to play point. You look at successful teams like San Antonio (Tony Parker), Detroit (Chauncey Billups), New Orleans (Chris Paul), Utah (Deron Williams), Phoenix (Steve Nash), and you realize that point guards are important in the NBA like quarterbacks are important in the NFL. Rose has leadership qualities, can play defense, and can even be a solid scoring option. Most importantly, he knows how to be unselfish and make great passes to his teammates. He's being referred to as a combination of Paul and Williams. I really believe this kid has a chance to break the Bulls long streak without an all-star. In fact, he could become a superstar someday.

Rose is the player we need. Just look at our projected starting lineup with Rose:
pg. Rose
sg. kirk hinrich
sf. luol deng
pf. drew gooden
c. jokiam noah

That's a solid starting lineup right there and the Bulls will finally have a playmaker who can get open looks for guys like Deng, Kirk, and Gordon as well as dish down low to Drew and Noah. He'll make us so much better offensively. Think about it: the Bulls were trying to trade for Kobe Bryant who is a playmaker with leadership qualities and can help the team when the game is on the line. Rose can be that player and the Bulls don't have to trade any of their "core" players. Rose is the leader and star the Bulls desperately need. Guys like Michael Beasley are in the draft every year. A guy like Rose isn't always available. Add Derrick Rose and the Bulls will become instant contenders in the Eastern Conference.

Soriano should be dropped lower in the batting order

Despite Alfonso Soriano's two home runs, he could of helped the Cubs a lot more yesterday. Both of his home runs were solo home runs. How are the Cubs going to benefit from Soriano's homers if they are just solo home runs? The Cubs get the same amount of runs out of a groundout with a runner at third with zero or one out compared to a Soriano home run. It is not coincidental that Soriano is hitting solo home runs. Besides the fact he is guaranteed to bat with the bases empty at least one time per game, he is hitting behind two of the Cubs worst On-base players: Reed Johnson and the pitcher's spot. The chances of either of them getting on aren't as great as the chances or Ryan Theriot or Derrick Lee or Kosuke Fukudome or Geovany Soto. One of the reasons the Cubs lost yesterday was because Soriano got just two RBIs out of his two home runs. If he was batting lower in the lineup, he'd probably get four RBIs for his home runs.

Now I know exactly why Soriano is still batting leadoff. Lou Piniella keeps talking about all this "Soriano doesn't like batting with runners on base and he is very comfortable at leadoff" bullshit. Here's the thing: Not only has Soriano came through this season many times with runners in scoring position but he wouldn't have to hit as many home runs if he was batting 5th or so. Let's say Soriano is batting with Lee on third and Aramis Ramirez on second. If Soriano hits a single, that's two RBIs right there which is one more RBI than he gets with all his solo home runs. And of course the obvious thing: if he hits a home run in that situation, it's three RBIs. As you saw yesterday, the addition of a few more RBIs can be the difference between a win and a loss. Soriano did a lot of damage in yesterday's loss, but he could have done a lot more.