Bleacher Report - Articles by Steve Moreau

After Alfonso Soriano's Dropped Catch, We Wonder about the State of Fundamentals

Steve Moreau — Sun, 25 May 2008 10:48:32 -0400

Maybe it's because my Dad was a high school coach, but the fundamentals of the game of baseball were instilled in me at an early age. "Swing level," or "eyes on the ball," or "use two hands on pop flies" were common phrases I heard when learning the game.

After watching one of the stupidest, most idiotic sports bloopers shows recently—oh, wait, it was the Cubs game Sunday afternoon—I remembered just how important fundamentals are in winning a ball game.

Now, I might take some heat for this, but I'll go with it anyway. On Sunday afternoon, the Cubs are beating Pittsburgh 5-4 in the bottom of the ninth. Two outs, Carlos Marmol on the hill, when the 'should be' third out is popped to deep left field. Alfonso Soriano drifts back, seemingly gets an eye on the ball, and d'oh, loses it in the sun and duffs it off his glove. E7, Pittsburgh ties it, extra innings, and eventually it's a 6-5 loss for the Cubs.

Now I know most of the time, players catch the ball with just the glove hand and the sun is not a factor. But what happened to blocking the sun with your glove and squeezing with two hands upon catching the ball? Are these not fundamentals, the very basics of fielding?

It just blows my mind that a professional baseball player, one who makes millions being the best at what he does, still won't block the sun with his glove and use two hands to catch the ball.

Some might say, "Well, he had his shades flipped down!" And I'll say back, "Well, put a hat and sunglasses and try to stare at the sun and catch a baseball!"

Some might also say, "Give the guy a break, everyone makes errors!" And again I'll reply, "Errors happen when players forget the fundamentals!"

It just bothers that when I watch highlights on TV and I see these fundamental errors still happening at the professional level. Soriano isn't alone; I'll give him a break. Even the best defensive player makes errors, but dropping flyballs shouldn't be among them.

I'm not talking line drives or dropping a ball after sprawling out attempting to make a fantastic play; I'm talking about the fundamentals that we all practiced in Little League or in the backyard with our dads. Fortunately for Soriano, he usually seems to outhit his mistakes on the field, but not today.

Maybe I'm just a classic Cubs fan that dies with my team, but c'mon, guys. Let's get back to basics. It's the end of May. And oh yeah, this is Major League Baseball.

Chicago Cubs' Offense Putting on a Run-Producing Spectacle

Steve Moreau — Fri, 16 May 2008 06:36:15 -0400

The Cubs seem to be out of their recent slump and have quickly regained the top spot in the N.L. Central.

Low and behold, however, a nemesis of years past has crept to within 1.5 games of the top—the Houston Astros and Lance Berkman are within striking distance, which gives me an eerie sense of deja vu.

Not too long ago, it would only be a matter of time before the Cubs would have lost eight out of ten and handed the division to Houston or St. Louis, but this year just feels different.

Carlos Zambrano and Ryan Dempster are unstoppable and even Ted Lilly has bounced back to win his last few starts.

The Cubs lead the majors in runs scored (238) and for the first time in a long time, I really feel that each guy in the lineup can swing the bat and perform in the clutch. No longer do we look forward to relying on the three, four, and five-hitters for the power and RBI; each guy in the starting nine, including the pitchers, can make the offensive plays and get on base.

Let's put together a realistic starting eight and check the stats.

If the lineup is, say, Alfonso Soriano, Ryan Theriot, Derrek Lee, Aramis Ramirez, Kosuke Fukudome, Geovany Soto, Mark DeRosa, and Ronny Cedeno—these boys are batting a healthy .309 and have driven in 169 runs.

Put Big Z on the mound and you've got some healthy hitters!

The Cubs have outscored second place Houston by 30 runs. Compare that to A.L. East leaders Tampa Bay and the Cubs are up 52 runs!

Remember all that talk about the N.L. being Minor League compared to the A.L.? Well it's a new year and it's about time this Cubs offense really lived up to its potential.

40 games into the season, I can honestly say that the Cubs are the team to beat in the Central. Though I love the competition from Houston, St. Louis, and Milwaukee, I'm going to predict a 90-72 final record and an N.L. Central Championship.

Postseason predictions will take a little more time, thought, and historical consideration.

I Lied About the Cubs - I Do Think This Could be the Year.

Steve Moreau — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 15:53:32 -0400

I know I said that I wouldn't get my hopes up too soon with the Cubs but after watching the last four games, I don't think I'll be able to suppress it any longer. I'm already starting to get nervous and dreaming of what it would be like to be at that final game in October at Wrigley. Is the 100 year drought ending this year? I sure hope so...if our boys keep playing the way they have in the first 19 games of the season then perhaps there's actually a decent chance.

What I realized tonight is how deep this year's squad really is. Even with the starters taking a breather, someone always steps in. Soriano is injured, but no one seems to notice because Reed Johnson and Felix Pie are there. Ryan Theriot can take a night off because Ronny Cedeno and Mike Fontenot can take care of the middle infield. DeRosa can play any position and we finally have a catcher who can hit and play defense in Geovanny Soto. Fukudome, though slumping lately, is the most patient hitter in baseball. He's averaging nearly 5 pitches per at bat! I have confidence in Henry Blanco as a backup catcher and Daryl Ward is a fan favorite despite limited playing time. Sweet Lou has got to be happy. And those are second stringers. Lee and Ramirez are once again carrying this team but this time the rest of the guys are pulling their weight like crazy.

Pitching is getting there with Big Z obviously dominating from the hill. Speaking of Hill, Rich is off to a decent start providing our lefties with their first win. How about Ryan Dempster and Kerry Wood switching roles? I mean, c'mon, how great was that move? Carlos Marmol is amazing and I think could eventually be a 16-18 game winning starter. Kerry Wood has been on the D.L. 11 times but it finally looks like he's found his place and he won't have to pitch 200 innings.

Now it's time for good moves and bad moves:

Bad moves:
-continuing to talk about "the drought"
-Raising beer prices to $6.25
-I'm still number 68,858 on the season ticket waiting list

Good moves:
-Fu-ku-do-me!
-Working tirelessly on Felix Pie's batting
-Reed Johnson (Toronto may be kicking themselves)
-Woody as closer
-Dempster as a starter
-Getting rid of Barrett and putting Soto behind the plate

I've always been a believer in this team. I believe that the drought could end this year, and if things keep gelling like they are, it's possible.