After Kerry Wood's pitiful performance of last night, I just have to make it worse... by asking "what were we waiting for"?

In the last few years, Kerry Wood has continued to go down to injury. The Cubs' confidence deflates as they realize that he's going to be out for a while, the fans say "if only he could get better", and the media begins yet another exhaustive and indepth analysis of every move that Wood makes while in rehab and/or Triple A.

The oddest phenomenon out of all of this? The players and staff on the Chicago Cubs freeze like deer in the headlights: everything is put on hold while they await Kerry's return. The team begins to play like they're just trying to do the status quo until Wood returns. Never mind that there are pitchers like Maddux, Zambrano, and Marshall (Cubs rookie who has REALLY stood up and made a difference) who bust their butts everytime that they take the mound. For some reason, Kerry Wood is considered the end-all-be-all of the pitching staff, the "pitching captain", so to speak.

Look, whether they've said it or not, we all know that Wood is no longer a dependable starter. The Cubs would be better served with him in the bullpen, as a set-up man, which he was doing last year and was very successful at. The fans know it, the Cubs know it, and I'm pretty damn sure that Wood knows it as well.

So, my question still remains... what were we waiting for while Wood was in rehab this year? Did we really think anything would be different when he came back? Kerry needs to wake up and be honest about where he's at. The Cubs seem to be dedicated to living out the lie that Kerry Wood will, one of these days, get back on track and lead us to glory. Well, what is the team supposed to do until then? It's so incredibly stupid!

I know that some people will argue the same for Prior, and that's entirely possible. I admit that I tend to give Prior more of a break because he has been plagued with freak occurences: that and I really believe that Prior still wants it... unlike Wood.

Let's call the situation what it is and move on... I don't think that anyone can take too much more of this!

Actually, I can't really say that Doggie was alone in having trouble... Jason Marquis was struggling as well in the first few innings. The good thing is that, as of the time that I'm writing this, no water coolers were reported as having received a beat down. ;-) I had a feeling that the Cubs would have a hard time getting all three games from the Cardinals, even with Pujols out. I thought that Doggie did decently enough... it was the relief crew that really fell apart.

I have to ask, though, is there any benefit to having Kerry Wood in the lineup if we have to juggle the start dates for the rest of our pitchers? How long can we do that and have our staff fit to go? It's asking for trouble, in my opinion.

And while I'm posting, let me say something...

I know that what I write here may not be for everyone. At times I can be crude/crass, and I can make sexual comments... but that's just how I express myself. I make no apologies for who I am or what I say. If what I say on my blog is distressing to anyone, there's a simple solution: don't read my posts. Constructive criticism is always welcome, as long as it is delivered in a courteous manner. My family has a long history of fighting for the rights guaranteed in our Constitution, including freedom of speech. My ancestors died to insure that everyone could say what they wish, and to insure the right for all of us to choose whichever religion we wish to follow (or to follow no religion at all).

The Man in Black, Johnny Cash, used to tout a principle which I live by, "This above all else, to thine own self be true". I can only be true to myself and those who came before me. Not everyone will like my language or my comments... but we live somewhere where I can freely say them, and I will.

I came home late last night hoping to catch the last inning of the game between the Cubs and Cardinals... and after a ninth inning rally by the Cubs, I was treated to another five innings of "free baseball". We went through inning after inning without a score, until Todd Walker was able to drive in the winning run for the Cubs (after going 0-7 in the game's regulation innings). It was nice to see the Cubs win this one, especially since it's always difficult for us to do well in Busch stadium.

On a very interesting sidenote, Cubs pitchers were able to keep Pujols from getting a hold of the ball and sending it out of the park. I think that part of the reason was that our pitchers were actually doing well... but also, I know that Pujols has been having a little bit of pain from his back... as a matter of fact, they just announced that he's out of the rest of the game today for that very reason. I wish him well... those are the kind of injuries that nag and make a person go crazy!

Well, yippee, the Astros officially announced that they've signed Roger Clemens (AKA The Big Dumb Animal), to play for the rest of their year.

Man, I hope that they weren't expecting for all of us to get excited. Clemens can pitch, don't get me wrong, but to me he's just a big bully who wears a Major League uniform. His behavior has been quite a bit under the stellar mark over the years, and I've never been able to get over it. This is a man who has gone to the little league games of his son and gotten into fights with umpires: what an example to set!

Even worse for me, I've always felt that Clemens and his bullshit antics have cost Doggie his due amongst the media and fans. Clemens is the one, of the two of them, who makes the most noise, so he gets all of the attention... are you kidding me? We've come down to reinforcing negative behavior, have we? Even in what should be the last vestige of sports purity? Lovely. Can I gag now?

It's somewhat odd, but I've noticed something over the years: if you're someone who is a Maddux fan and you appreciate his style and dedication, then chances are that you despise Clemens. Even better, it goes both ways, so that if you like Clemens, there's good odds that you don't like Mad Dog. I've gotten into verbal disagreements with people who think that Clemens is the bomb, because, after all, I'm all about the Doggie. I know it's horrible, but I prefer an intelligent man who can pitch you blind, versus one who depends on his speed and power. Now, I know that baseball (and pitching) has changed drastically over the years, it's all about the "power game" instead of the "inside game", but as much as I like to see a dinger go out of a park or a fastball blow past a guy, I enjoy small ball so much more. The reason is simple, really: the "inside game/ small ball" requires a great deal more intellect and artistry than the "power game" does. Sure, it's nice to see players pull a yardjob and whack the ball out, and sometimes that wins games,... but for teams like my Chicago Cubs, depending on dingers has literally hung them out to dry in the standings. A big part of the reason that Maddy blew up in Florida was because he managed to get on base and they LEFT HIM THERE, which the Cubs are notorious for doing with all of the men who get on base. Pitching has become part of the "power game" as well, and I just can't stand it.

I guess that what I'm trying to say is that true talent, true artistry in baseball is far too often overlooked for the quick and cheap homerun, or the quick and powerful fastball that has hitters cringing. I'm not trying to detract from the incredible home run numbers put up by gentlemen like Pujols, Ruth, etc, or the numbers of men like Randy Johnson, etc... I'm just saying that the number of players who can constantly keep hitting dingers is far less than those who, if taught properly, can help their teams by learning solid fundamentals. The number of pitchers who can last a long time in the league, and be a force, is also limited because of the fact that the harder you throw, the more you mess up your arm: look at Kerry Wood and tell me that isn't a factor in his injuries.

In the end, power only accounts for so much. For some players, it's easy as hell to get on the mound and throw heaters so that hitters strike out... but remember, there are also cerebral pitchers out there who remind us of what the game should really be about at the end of the day.

Mayhaps one day I will break down the reasons that I think that Doggie has surpassed Clemens and other such power pitchers, but at the moment I'm trying to get a break from all of the "Clemens signed!!" bullshit.

Big whoop. I wouldn't do him! Where's the nerdy pitcher?! ;-)

Yeah! You go, boy!

Greg Maddux gets win #324 of his career, tying him with Don Sutton and Nolan Ryan for all time wins. I guess, in some ways, it's ridiculous that I feel this way, but screw it... Doggie, I'm SO proud of you, baby!!

We had an hour and one minute worth of rain delay, but Doggie kept his arm hot, came back out and kicked ass!

Break out the BIG bag of chips!!