80 Wins? Make It So!

Thirty-three games left.  Can the Cubs win 100 games for the first time since ’35?  I think it is well within the realm of possibility.  We still aren’t out of the woods yet as far as the NL Central race is concerned, but every day the promised land gets closer and closer.  In my opinion, the Cubs are almost a lock to win the pennant.  It’s when you start to look at how the Cubs match up with potential World Series foes that things get interesting.  But this team is certainly capable of defeating all foes, Ivan Drago style.  “I defeat all men!”

Choose your weapon

Ever since the All-Star break, it seems that we never know which bat the Cubs hitters will swing on a particular day.  Too often it has been the ice bat, and quality starts are being wasted.

Go West, Young Man!

It’s taken me a few days to come to terms with the fact that Matt Murton is no longer a member of the Chicago Cubs.  Although I knew it was going to happen, I didn’t expect it to happen this early in July.  It’s hard to put your feelings into words when things like this happen.  Even though my favorite Cub is no more, I can say that there are some positives that come out of this trade.

First of all, I think Matt Murton would be of value to teams.  I think he would

Wake up the Echoes, Jeff Samardzija

 

I don’t believe I have mentioned this on Ivy Envy yet, but I am a huge Notre Dame fan.  So you can imagine how excited I was when Jeff Samardzija was drafted by the Cubs.  I am sure the picture above will get us more hits from the HotJocks WordPress Blog that appreciates some of our pictures and sends us some traffic.  They are big fans of

Vote for Matt Murton, NL All-Star

I’m going to look past Mark Derosa’s great performance last night in San Francisco and instead focus on the accomplishments of my favorite Chicago Cub:

 

Matt Murton has continued to work through his season-long extra-base dryspell and busted out with

Who is the new Michael Barrett?

So the White Sox are headed to the North Side for the weekend’s Crosstown Series.  The Cubs come limping into Wrigley after getting swept for the first time this year….by the Tampa Rays.  That just doesn’t sound right. 

So maybe Lou will be looking to fire the team up.  Maybe a guy in cubbie blue will step up and motivate his team

New Asshat of the Week

Since I can’t seem to embed this crap, here is a link:  Asshat of the Week.

I think that every sports team has its share of embarassing fans.  We find ourselves wishing that these people would show some maturity, respect, and moderation.  Cards fans everywhere should be wishing that this guy

Mark DeRosa’s Blog

It was mentioned quite during the Cubs playoff games last year that Mark DeRosa has a blog.  I’ve recently re-discovered it 

April Hope

April 1991: Pittsburgh

The bases were loaded, and Andre Dawson came up to bat in the top of the ninth.  The Cubs were down 3-0.  I rocked back and forth on the couch and watched anxiously as Dawson dug in. 

“Wouldn’t it be awsome if he hit a grand slam?” I mused aloud.  As soon as I said it, I realized I was falling into my typical routine of willing my woeful team to win. 

Alfonso and his hop.

In the first inning of last night’s game, my opinion of Alfonso Soriano’s hop was validated. I’ve never liked it, nor have I bought the “it’s what he’s comfortable with” excuse. To me, it seems cocky, flashy, and like something you expect to see in a sandlot game. This was something I had hoped would disappear over the off-season. Well, here we are, a little over 2 weeks into the season and he comes away limping, needing assistance to get off the field after a routine pop-fly.