Bleacher Report - Articles by Tyler Smith

Come on, Cubs: Anybody But Jim Edmonds

Tyler Smith — Wed, 14 May 2008 14:33:05 -0400

Really? Jim Edmonds is about to sign with the Chicago Cubs? Doesn't that city hate the man? Didn't their ace pitcher throw at the man? Hasn't Jim Edmonds been a rival St. Louis Cardinal for years?

I would understand this decision if Jim Edmonds could still produce, but he hasn't in a years, and has hit a whopping .178 so far this season. Though center field is the one position that the Chicago Cubs could use improvement, their current options of Reed Johnson and Felix Pie are actually better than Jim Edmonds would be.

The Cubs offense is in good shape. The offense has plenty of pop in it. They have led the major leagues in runs and OBP for the better part of this season.

Derrek Lee's wrist is fully healed and he is playing like the MVP caliber player he was before the injury. Rookies Kosuke Fukudome and Geovany Soto are playing great and have really helped the offense. You know what you get out of sluggers Soriano and Ramirez. Ryan Theriot is considered the weak link of the offense, and he's hitting .330 so far this year.

So here's my question: Why not let the kid play? Why not give Felix Pie a fair shot at the center field job?

His defense is great, he brings youth and speed to the team, and is another left-handed bat who can provide sneaky power.

With all of the names I just mentioned that are already in the Cubs offense, there shouldn't be a problem with letting a kid play who plays great defense and brings occasional offense. In fact, I would think that particular situation would be beneficial for a young guy with less pressure.

But, like always, Cubs management is abusing a chance with a young player. I still think it's ridiculous that Rich Hill is in the minors, but that's another story.

I would be shocked if Jim Edmonds was not in every Cub fans top five most hated players list of all time, or at least of recent years.

I know baseball is about winning and it shouldn't matter who your current players used to play for, but in this case, it is different. Most Cubs fans didn't like Moises Alou before he came to the Cubs, but then the Cubs embraced him—mainly because he was still good.

Jim Edmonds, is not.

Is it possible to boo a new player on your team in his first at bat? We will probably find out Thursday afternoon at Wrigley.

I would not be surprised if Mr. Edmonds gets a rude welcome by the fans who still hate him. This signing makes no sense, and believe it or not, I hope Edmonds goes 0-35 and gets released quickly.

We'll see what happens.

Carlos Zambrano: "Big Z" Is Becoming Big Ace for Chicago Cubs

Tyler Smith — Tue, 06 May 2008 15:12:51 -0400

For the Chicago Cubs to get to the Promised Land, several things have to happen. But perhaps the biggest thing on that list is Carlos Zambrano stepping up and being the true ace that they have been waiting for.

Coming into this season, Zambrano has had some monkeys that he couldn't seem to get off his back. Here is his checklist thus far:

1. Finally pitched well on opening day: Check! He didn't allow a run.

2. Finally got off to a good start in April: Check! He was 4-1 with a low ERA.

3. Finally beat Aaron Harang: Check! He was winless against him prior to Tuesday night.

With all this in mind, it looks like Big Z has arrived as one of the better aces in the National League. Sure, he won 18 games last season, but he also lost 13 games and had a few slumps that really hurt the Cubs.

After throwing eight shutout innings against the Reds on Tuesday and giving the Cubs' depleted bullpen a much needed win, he is now 5-1 on the season with a very low ERA.

With him pitching like this, the Cubs have a horse they can go to every fifth day. And they can feel like they have a great chance to wave the white flag at Wrigley.

Why the big turn around? For starters, his contract situation is no longer a distraction, as it was last season.

Former teammate Michael Barrett is no longer with the club (Big Z never saw eye to eye with Barrett). Heck, I'll even say that Big Z feels better pitching in the blue jerseys. (Cubs' ownership took away the blue jerseys last season and brought them back this year.)

Whatever it is, Big Z is becoming an even bigger force than he used to be. This is exactly what the Chicago Cubs need.

In the National League, it's going to be extremely difficult to win the Cy Young when you have names like Webb, Santana, and Peavy in the mix.

But Carlos Zambrano is pitching like he wants to at least be mentioned in the same category as those guys. Thus far, he has done just that.

"Easy Redbird Fans... It's May."

Tyler Smith — Mon, 05 May 2008 08:59:28 -0400

Let's be honest. The St. Louis Cardinals are shocking the world right now with their impressive 20-12 record and first place standing in the NL Central. Most of the experts had this team as low as fifth in the division, and the highest rank they were getting was third. So far, pitching coach Dave Duncan has done what he does best, which is turning mediocre starting pitchers into good starting pitchers. And one of the better managers in the history of the game, Tony LaRussa, is getting the most out of his players.

But as the saying goes, "baseball is a marathon and not a sprint", I can't help but feel disgusted at how Cardinals fans are acting in the early going. They have played 21 games at home, compared to 11 games on the road. They have only played 2 teams with winning records, yet they are acting as if the Cardinals are guaranteed to be up top all season long. I hate to break it to ya Cardinals fans, but that just isn't gonna happen. In fact, the Cardinals will be lucky to even finish third in this improved NL Central division.

I know, I know, you all keep reminding me that eventually you will get Mark Mulder and Chris Carpenter back. First of all, Mulder can't even get anybody out in the minor leagues right now, and hasn't got anyone out at the major league level since 2005. As much ridicule as I got as a Cubs fan for thinking Wood and Prior would quit getting hurt, I now take pride in letting all of you know that Mulder, like his ex-teammate Barry Zito, is done.

And if you honestly expect Carpenter to be the Carpenter of old after missing almost two years with an injury, you have another thing coming.

But the bottom line here, is that the Cardinals are nowhere near as talented as the Cubs and Brewers. They had a hot stretch like this one in August of last year and Cardinals fans were freaking out, before the team came back to earth and started losing. Expect the same to happen this season. Their hot streak right now is amplified because it's the beginning of the season. That's it.

Cardinal fans have really surprised me so far this season. For a so called baseball town, they seem to me to be the most ignorant fans in sports. When it's only May 5th, and your team isn't very good, and you are bragging about their hot start and how good Ryan Ludwick and Todd Wellmeyer are, you have a problem.

But hey, it's only going to make the Cubs second straight division title that much more sweet come the end of September.