Panic Time??

I got to watch my first full game today. Living on the west coast and having a full time job, I'm saddened by the fact that I will probably see fewer than half of the games this year. (More night Wrigley games please)

At first, just by watching Gameday updates on BlackBerry and after game box scores, I was FREAKING out about the bullpen. But I liked mostly what I saw today out of Grabs, tho I do agree with fellow chatter who commented that maybe he's not a great Lefty v Lefty match up due to not having a killer slider. He looked MUCH better against the righties he faced today.
Marshall really seems to excel in the middle relief role and as our starters get stretched out, I'm not too worried about him being over-used. The Russell kid had a good outing and I think Berg is showing promise. Smardja is quickly going to pitch himself back to Iowa and I think it will take a while for Loupa to put Cardiad back in during a close game. Luckily I do think there are some viable options in the minors and I don't think Hendry will be too slow to make a switch; it may even be worth dangling Smardja out on the market to see what could be garnered.

But ONCE again, the Cubs have the same type of offense. Very few plate setters, 4 guys in the middle of the lineup trying to hit HR's and nothing else, and a catcher that is proving that steroids really do work (allegedly) every time he's at the plate.
These cubs, remind me more and more of the Dusty cubs. No walks, no stolen bases, and everyone waiting for a HR. Colvin and Sori need to be put into a true platoon situation and Colvin can bat 2nd, and Fuku could move down to 6th. This is just a suggestion, but I think Colvin has MORE than earned the chance to start more than once every 5 days.

I DON"T think its time to panic. If the Cubs can snag another W in Cinci tomorrow, they'll be at .500. Aram will heat up in June when he always does and the Fonty/Baker platoon may prove itself to be at least adequate.

But think about this. Aside from Silva, the only other major acquisitions that have made it to the roster are Nady and Tracy. Two guys from the scrap-heap, neither of which were known for their on-base prowess. Meanwhile, Mark DeRosa has made an immediate impact on the SF Giants, taking walks, slapping singles AND hitting home-runs, all while available to play 5 positions if needed. I made the comment today that the Giants at least seem to have a Vision and a "Formula for Success". Not sure if the Cubs have had that since the Prior/Wood/Sosa years...

Some bad oh-mans

I know there have only been two games so far, and that this is a LONG season, but its pretty obvious that one of the main off-season priorities was not met. That being, acquiring an experienced veteran arm for the bullpen and most importantly, to fill the huge void that is the 8th inning. Samardzija, based off of Monday's appearance and glimpses last season, does not apper to be comfortable in ANY bullpen role. I was going to post about my frustration with Z and his inability to calm the EFF down during important starts, but decided to give him a larger sample size. The bullpen, I don't trust enough in its current condition, and hope that Hendry doesn't wait until August to fix his most blatant off-season error in recent history.