Beat it

Lots of interesting stuff today.  The Tribune tells us that Z threw his first batting-practice session yesterday, then "bypassed the media and stomped out of the clubhouse shouting 'beat it' in Spanish."  Well, that's dispiriting, isn't it?  I hope we're not looking at a repeat of the second half of last season (I'd take a repeat of the no-hitter, of course, but mostly not the rest of it).

On a lighter note, Chicago Cubs Online linked to an entertaining Daily Herald article about the height of the Cubs' middle infielders, which begins, "After shooting his bow and arrow this winter, Mike Fontenot made it his target to get stronger so he can start at second base."  I'm not sure there was any need to go beyond the bolded part, personally - that is more than enough awesome for any piece of writing.  But if we must:

Both Fontenot and Miles check in at 5-feet-8, and when either pairs with shortstop Ryan Theriot (5-11), they'll give the Cubs one of the most diminutive double-play combos in the, ahem, "big" leagues.

Nice job, Daily Herald.  But, really, how great is it that our two potential second basemen are both 5'8?  What is this, the Little Rascals baseball club?  (Just kidding.  You know Theriot and Fontenot are my two favorite people ever, and I look forward to seeing Aaron Miles in action.)

I turned in a couple of sermons last week, have to talk to a bunch of people about baptism this week, and have 93 midterms due shortly, plus many terrible applications for financial aid, so I am more than usually grateful that baseball exists.  I'm clinging to it as a distraction from my FAFSA and various Latin terms.

"We got to get him a Cub hat over there"

More from the Sun-Times: I spent most of the long, cold winter pining away for articles like this one.

Cubs manager Lou Piniella does seem to take exception, though, to seeing the President wearing that old, worn Sox hat he does so often.

"We got to get him a Cub hat over there," Piniella said. "We can sneak Chief Wahoo over there."

Huh?

"Who is it?" Piniella said, grasping for the right character. "Yeah, Ronnie Wahoo."

Or maybe even Ronnie Woo-Woo. Close enough.

Please, Lou, never change.

News and Notes

According to the Sun-Times' Cubs Twitter feed and various other sources:

• With the arrival of Rami, D. Lee, and Soriano today, everyone is present and accounted for.  Man, that's exciting.  
• Jim Hendry doesn't know if Obama will pay a visit when he's in Mesa on Wednesday.  I hope so - maybe he could promote some inter-team goodwill.
• Lou has told everybody to quit making predictions about, you know, stuff, which I think is very sensible.
• Z's mustache: I am concerned.  Also, Milton Bradley continues to look crazy.

Spring is here

Via the official Cubs site:



Ladies and gentlemen, we are back.

HELP US

I should have posted this several days ago, but:




I have nothing to add. (Except that the photo is from the Sun-Times.)

Okay, I'm pretty sure no one finds the Randy Johnson thing as hilarious as I do, but, good Lord, that man is terrifying.  According to his MLB profile, he is 6'10 (true) and 73 years old (probably not true).  When I opened his profile in order to look for some more things to make fun of, I could only look at it for one second before I screamed and started hitting the back button.  

Horrible.  Jessie pointed out last night that Randy Johnson is a giant who grinds bones to make his bread, and that is all that can really be said about that.

In much less horrifying news, the Cubs re-sign Dempster.  Thank goodness.  Hopefully that means I don't have to worry about the Big Unit skulking around like a monster.

If Kerry Wood couldn't get the contract he deserved here, it's more than fair to let him go get it somewhere else.  It sounds like it was the best thing for him and, I hope, for the team.  Besides, I am, in fact, aware that people get traded in baseball and that nobody sticks around forever.

I understand all that, but: I have hardly any Cubs-related memories (good or bad) that don't involve Kerry Wood somehow.  I was just a kid when he started, and so was he.  So I didn't know this was coming, even though I probably should have.  I guess I really thought he would retire as a Cub.

Well, thanks, Kerry, and I hope you get that victory somewhere else; you deserve it.  But I wish it had been here.

::girly sigh::

Geo wins NL Rookie of the Year, and certainly deserves it.  I hope he'll be a Cub for a long, long time.