To say it's been an interesting first half of baseball in 2008 may very well be an understatement; perhaps the phrase "increasingly perplexing and peculiar" is more apt to describe the pre-All Star break matchups' tumultuous yet ceaselessly entertaining nature.
What, with the Rays' unfathomable surge to the league's peak, the emergence of previously-woebegone outfielder Josh Hamilton as an all-too-legitimate Triple Crown threat, the Mets' gruesome tumble and recent inexplicable resurgence, Chipper Jones' ongoing and fascinating battle to maintain his near-.400 batting average, Jon Lester's no-no only two years removed from a frightening case of lymphoma, the NL West's ungodly and near-indescribable putresence, the Brewers' first franchise-altering acquisition since Ben Sheets' drafting in '99, Jered Weaver's hitless loss, and Chien-Ming Wang's unfortunate demonstration of a rather embarassing inability to correctly round third base...
Yeah, "increasingly perplexing and peculiar" should work.
Though the aforementioned first half highlights touch upon a good number of the headlines peppering the papers throughout the season's first three months, the Chicago Cubs' phenomenal burst out of the gate was notably absent. Strange, no?
But you're on to me, aren't you? You've played this game long enough. You already knew the Cubs went without mention because a sentence-long acknowledgement fails to satisfy my rarely-satiated desire to expound upon the Cubs. Excellent work, my dear Holmes.
I know you're thinking it, and you are correct, good sir: the Cubs get a column!
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It's all-too-easy to allow the sort of first half the Chicago Cubs enjoyed to slip your mind -- quit your smirking; not a drop of sarcasm stains those words. No, seriously.
Currently, you know two things: (1) the Cubs' NL Central cushion has wandered anywhere between 2 to 5.5 games for the season's majority, and (2) the team is (at the moment, with the Rays' convenient seven game slide in mind) the best team in baseball record-wise.
Although you know both to be true, baseball's nature has always been more along the lines of "What have you done lately?" than "What have you done more often than not?"
As for the Cubs' doings of late, a season-worst 12-13 run has marred the June 17-to-present stretch concluding the team's otherwise spectacular first half. Not awful -- even in the most pessimistic man's opinion -- but certainly not the stuff of a team shouldering weighty championship aspirations.
(Of course, it's foolish to believe a team can keep the accelerator floored over the course of an entire season; slumps are inevitable, though never convenient. Still, the Cubs have seen better days. No longer do they annihalate or bombard teams; scratched-across runs and timely, well-placed hits have become the modus operandi of late -- certainly a fine manner in which to play, but hardly as convincing. Previously, the team found ways to win games in which they played poorer than the opposition; now, the Cubs play poorly just as often as earlier on, but instead of staying afloat and making a late stand, the team has been prone to rolling over -- rally-caps left unturned. The killer instinct from the early season's winning stretches has gone missing -- or so I've noticed -- and that stands alone as the single reason behind the team's recent struggles.)
So I'm thinking the Cubs and their first half for the ages fell off your radar. No, I'm not crazy. I realize the team's recieved its fair share of media coverage and attention, but, quite simply, it's not enough. Is this selfishness speaking? Perhaps. The fan in me peeved the Cubs' dominating ways haven't been given their due? Probably.
Luckily, I'm here to remind you: this first half of 2008 witnessed an undeniable ass-kicking, courtesy of the fresh-off-a-century-long-championship-drought Chicago Cubs.
Words left agonizingly unwritten over the past one hundred seasons.
And don't you forget them! Here to assist me in the reminding process is a handy-dandy run through of the five pieces most integral to the Cubs' first half puzzle. Enjoy, and Eamus Catuli!
During the meeting in which GM Jim Hendry and Lou Piniella convened this past winter to discuss Dempster's fate -- as to whether or not he'd begin 2008 in the bullpen or the starting rotation -- I'm fairly certain neither of them envisioned Dempster's altogether magnificent metamorphasis into a legitimate Cy Young candidate taking place exactly as it most wonderfully has. Though Jim and Lou will do Demp the service of a "Oh, we knew he had it in him," response when posed the question concerning their level of suprise over his impressively sharp 20 (yeah, 20!) starts, don't believe it for a second. No one saw this (10-4, 3.13) coming; except, perhaps, the eternally-upbeat canuck himself.
But it matters little as to whether or not anyone foresaw or predicted Dempster's successes; what does matter, however, is that he continues onward in his progress. He's proven himself far too crucial for any sort of second-half slippage.
While it's difficult to measure the positive impact Demp's had on the team and rotation, his gaudy numbers -- coupled with his first All-Star appearance since '00 -- should suffice. He's been as valuable to the team as Zambrano -- if not more, because of his perfect health and Zambrano's 15-day stay on the DL -- and has proved to be one of the more consistent pitchers in the big leagues (12 of 20 quality starts; 14-6 team record in appearances), something a rotation plagued by inconsistencies (namely, Jason Marquis) necessitates.
Dempster earned a spot on this list over Zambrano if only because he's employed the element of surprise. Zambrano's been just as effective, and his dominance over Dempster pitch-wise would be a case hardly worthy of a doubletake, but his superb first half shocked nary a single baseball-savvy soul. Dempster's? Perhaps a few -- few million, of course.
In my preseason prediction column, I wrote Dempster had something to prove, and would likely end up a solid #4 starter.
Perhaps by #4, I meant #2; by solid, I meant outstanding. Dempster's surprised and pleased, and it is perhaps Cubs Universe's fondest desire to witness his blossoming continue into the second half -- forget "fondest desire;" that's a necessary occurence if the team's to win the pennant!
Initially, Kerry Wood and his fantastic resurrection as one of the league's more dominant closers occupied the #4 slot on this list. While the case against Wood's inclusion would not be an oft-argued one, Ramirez has simply been that much more important -- considering Wood's newfound knack for nailing down those final three outs has evolved into one of the most integral aspects of the team, the Ramirez-over-Wood statement becomes all the mightier.
Put simply, Ramirez has served as the most clutch player in prominent athletics since perhaps David Ortiz in the 2004 playoffs (the Memphis Tigers and their 4th quarter FT shooting in the NCAA final just missed the cut). In close and late situations, Ramirez has batted an eye-popping .432 with 9 homers and 16 RBIs. Nine homers in clutch situations. Go ahead, call them anything other than the most absurd clutch statistics your eyes have come across in some time (and while you're busy making ludicrous statements, feel free to declare the Pope protestant and Chicago weather consistent).
Ramirez has been unquestionably the most powerful hitter in the Cubs' lineup since his mid-'03 trade from the Pirates, but has never been as clutch or as necessary a piece as he currently finds himself. This offense -- while decidedly the most powerful in the Majors -- relies on his production more than any other contributing member.
If serving as the most potent member of the most potent offense in the league isn't good enough for a spot on the short list of first half team MVPs, well, perhaps the temperatures in hell have dipped below freezing -- pigs may be fluttering around outside your window, as well.
Luckily, on this particular list, all is well -- at the expense of Kerry Wood's mostly magnificent first half, sadly enough. I feel as though Woody's first All-Star appearance since '03 should make up for it, though.
3. Kos-K Fukudome
The lone item missing from the '07 division champ Cubs was an OBP monster; a player capable of reassuring the masses by simply appearing in the on-deck circle -- because of the near-guarantee of either an ideally-placed, seeing-eye single or, just as pleasing, a well-earned walk. One could argue the Cubs' thorough lack of a player able to inspire such peace of mind was the single biggest reason behind the team's early playoff exit -- Lou's untimely removal of Zambrano in Game 1 is down there, too.
Ah, but how the seemingly innocuous act of a single Japanese signature on a 4 year, $48 million dollar contract can change things!
Among outfielders, Fuku ranks 10th in OBP (.383) and 8th in walks (55). He's demonstrated deft fielding (a lone error), a craftiness upon the basepaths and in the box commonly associated with fellow Japanese outfielder Ichiro Suzuki, a knack for clutch, situational hits or walks (.306 BA and 13 walks in late & close situations), and, perhaps most noteworthy, it's taken him a mere three months to emphatically erase all doubts concerning the ever-raging most popular Cub debate -- a phenomenal distinction, considering Ryan Theriot's popularity with the female lot of fans, Geovany Soto's burgeoning name recognition, and the continued presence of fan-favorites Carlos Zambrano and Derrek Lee.
Outside Wrigley, one can purchase -- for the low, low price of 8 dollars! -- a Fukudome headband, adorned with script Japanese writing and an encircled #1. If personalized headbands -- more popular than you'd imagine, seriously -- aren't enough to solidify your status as the team's most popular member, I'm not sure what will. Of course, a good deal of Fukudome's popularity stems from his ethnicity -- they wouldn't sell these headbands and he wouldn't be an All-star if he weren't Japanese; take that to Chase -- but does anyone really care? Sure, it's fun to alternate pronunciations of his last name, and yeah, he looks a little silly spinning around in the batters' box after every swinging strike -- an unfortunate byproduct of his unorthodox-yet-mostly-effective swing -- but isn't that all just part of his mystique, and a big reason we've come to love him? I'd say so.
To make an attempt at being unbiased, though, Fukudome's struggled mightily as of late -- there's your understatement of the year nominee (you knew it was coming, I always get one in there). In his last 14 outings, he's batted a meager .180, and produced only a single homer and three RBIs -- most worrisome, however, is the startling K-to-walk ratio (17-4; startling indeed). Lou said it best when he suggested Fukudome was "swinging tired," and it certainly appears as though Dr. Piniella's offered another money prognosis. Fukudome has exhaustedly flailed and been late on pitches more and made solid, balanced swings less. He has also, upon more than one occasion, become visibly frustrated; something we've yet to see from the otherwise-unflappable Fuku. Both are likely results of his unfamiliarity with the grueling nature of the MLB schedule; whatever the case, though, it's clear Kos-K is more glad than anyone to see the All-Star break roll around.
It bears mentioning the team's season-worst stretch has coincided as Fukudome's. Despite my usage of the verb "coincide," you'd be hard-pressed to find a less coincidental occurrence. If looking for a reason Kosuke appears so high on this list beyond his popularity, search no further; you've found it. His timely walks and wonderful habit of forcing pitchers waste 8-10 pitches every time around have been sorely missed -- the absence of which has also been a key component behind the Cubs' recent struggles.
In any event, it's crucial the Kos-K express re-rails itself. While I'm overjoyed he'll be representing the team in the All-Star game, a few days of rest and perhaps some game-film-watching are in order before Friday's trip to Houston. I'm sure Dr. Lou's recommended the same.
We need you, Fuku. The headband-wearing, bowing-in-unworthiness, Foo-kah-dough-may!-chanting bleacher bums need you. The RBI-starved Derrek Lee and Aramis Ramirez need you (on base, that is).
Get it together, Kos-K. I don't want to write a column in November decrying our foolishness in falling for you so early on. I mean, really, really, don't want to write that column. '
2. Geovany Soto
Although I've written nary a word concerning his irrefutably fantastic first half, Geo's certainly appeared on my radar; of that you can rest assured.
Upon my first trip to Wrigley this season -- a rain-drenched Mother's Day visit to witness Sean Gallagher dispatch the then-hot-as-hell Diamondbacks -- I made a beeline for the souveneir shop the instant I entered the concourse. To my utter shock and horrified dismay, the store's racks were completely devoid of #18 Soto t-shirts, jerseys and/or any other imaginable sort of merchandise. Jaw dragging steadily across the floor, I hurriedly rushed to the woman behind the register and inquired as to where, exactly, I mind quench my insatiable thirst for a t-shirt upon which was emblazoned the name and number of my new favorite Cub. She responded glumly, "I'm sorry, they haven't started selling them yet."
I hollered back: "Sheesh! The kid's batting .330 and he's the most consistent offensive player on the team but you sure as hell wouldn't know it! You sell Felix Pie jerseys for cripes' sake! Get it together! C'mon!"
Okay, so it was more like a silent nod, and then a discouraged trudge back to my seat. Still. Talk about an appropriate time for the depressing Charlie Brown Christmas music!
Last week -- an entire two months after the aforementioned escapade -- I exited the Confines still without my desired t-shirt. Still feeling the giddy aftereffects of another rousing chorus of "Go Cubs, Go!" I spotted it; placed on the highest shelf of a souveneir shop on Waveland, right past the firehouse. A " That much?" comment and a begrudgingly forked-over $25 later, I proudly donned my #18 shirt for the first time. A marvelous happenstance, indeed!
Over the course of those two months in which I lacked any sort of way to prove my inexplicable (seriously, I just took to liking him an ordinate amount for no particular reason at all; good thing he's justified this man-crush, huh?) love for Geo, the Puerto Rican rookie cemented his status as one of the premier catchers in the National League, finishing the first half second in HRs (16) and walks (48), first in RBIs (56), and third in BA (.288) among NL catchers.
Not all his work was done from the batters' box, though; a good deal was accomplished behind it. Geo's demonstrated an innate knack for knowing exactly when a pitcher's at his breaking point, and makes frequent mound-trips to calm his battery mate's rapidly-fraying nerves -- certainly something not worthy of praise or admiration for a veteran catcher, but a rookie? The nerve! The confidence! The fortitude! Ah, it's not something you see every day, now is it?
The thing with Geo is he's as far removed from what's commonly associated with the R under the "Experience" column located on the team roster as any other first year player I've yet to witness in any sport. While I've only been around for 16 years, and while I'm positive there have been rookies more talented than Geo, (look no further than Ryan Braun in '07) I'm fairly certain none are capable of matching him in the maturity department.
He calls a phenomenal game; a staff member's shaking off a Geo sign is about as rare an occurrence as one will stumble across. The entire rotation (yep, even seasoned veterans like Ted Lilly and Z) has lauded his pitch-calling efforts and his pregame preparations (reportedly, Geo scours over scouting and individual batting reports for hours, as if he were preparing for a do-or-die exam).
His leadership is evident on the field as well: with a crucial situation on-hand and a dire need for a precise pitch location, Geo shakes his glove repeatedly and vigorously during his pitcher's motion -- a brilliant reminder (and one you don't see often from other catchers) considering the likelihood of the pitcher allowing the crowd's intensity to potentially re-direct his pitch. More often than not, said crucial pitch finds the mitt in it's intended location, and Geo calmly pumps a fist while his pitcher nods towards him knowingly. Truly, Geo's glove-shake (the best I can do, sorry) stands alone as the best exemplification of the 2008 Cubs' style of baseball; teammates pushing each other, working together towards a fervently-desired goal... and, in a fashion much unlike Cub teams of yesteryear, achieving it. The to-be rookie of the year's involvement in this sort of season-defining play is hardly coincidental.
Put simply, Geo knows what he's doing out there; praise not often uttered when speaking of a rookie catcher. And, if you tack on the sort of production he's managed... that's just the icing. He's about as untouchable as any Cub at the moment, and will be catching in the Confines for many a future season.
The following are certainties: I'll be wearing my beloved Geo t-shirt tomorrow during the All-Star game, and I'll wear it far more often than people would like (I sweat during Cubs games; that shirt's gonna get stanky) during what will most certainly be a second half similiar to or better than his memorable first.
1. Jim Hendry
Ah-ha! Surprised you, didn't I? You weren't expecting the General Manager to appear on this list, much less in the #1 spot, were you?
No, no, we're on the same page. I know, I said it was a countdown of team MVP's, and that my wording implied all five persons so honored would be players; how foolish of you to discount the GM, though, the one responsible for assembling the players in the first place!
Jim Hendry makes the list. Don't like it? Go sulk. See what I care.
For the amount of criticism I heap upon the weary back of John Paxson -- hey Pax, quit makin' dumb moves and your poor back'll get a break, huh? -- a few more columns in support of Chicago GM's would certainly appear to be in order. Try to keep things balanced, y'know?
Well, here goes: Jim Hendry, in one of the more incredible runs to grace the Chicago sports scene within the realms of my memory, hasn't made a poor transaction all season. Consider the fact that I dragged him through the coals (and back through them again...) prior to the Edmonds signing, and that becomes quite the powerful statement -- as if it weren't powerful enough already.
The Fukudome signing? Brilliant -- in terms of both marketability and production. The Dempster-to-the-rotation and Wood-to-the-'pen manuever? Could not have worked out better in any conceivable fashion. The Reed Johnson signing? A perfect fit. Jim Edmonds' signing? An enormous gamble which would, if a failure, cost the team hardly anything; yet, if a success, an enormous boost -- and it's paid off a hundred fold. (The Jim Edmonds apology column is still coming; keep your pants on, apology seekers.) The Rich Harden trade? Patterson, Murton and Gallagher could each end up All-Stars (unlikely) but if Harden remains healthy, the Cubs have the top rotation in the league (Ted Lilly, a #4 starter?!) and Hendry understands the team's need to win, and win now -- prospects can (1) wait or (2) be traded. Harden is undoubtedly worth the risk.
Hell, stretch back to the Piniella signing -- I'd say that's gone well, wouldn't you? Even the decision to let Jason Kendall walk and hand the unproven Soto the starting job -- how's that working out? The re-signing of Carlos Zambrano? The 2006 acquisition of Mark DeRosa? Good Lord, the list continues!
To say Jim Hendry might want to try his luck at the lotto while he's this hot might not be the most far-fetched of suggestions.
(Remaining all-too-aware of the jinx-potential here, let's tread lightly...) IF the Cubs are to produce past September, the credit needn't be directed towards the players, Lou, or even the fans -- although, of course, each certainly would have played an enormous role. If wondering which member of the organization has the most champagne headed his way during any sort of potential postseason celebration, it's unquestionably Jim Hendry. Gotta be.
As if the (potential) champagne shower headed his way weren't enough, how's being named the #1 biggest reason behind the Cubs' best first half since 1908 work for you, Jim?
If not, well, that's just a side-effect commonly associated with 57-38 first halves.
They tend to make you harder to please.