Maybe They're Struggling Because In The Last Seven Games...They've Played Eight Games?

I was watching the worldwide leader this morning as they broke down the struggling Cardinals, when they showed this on the screen:



No matter how badly they butchered that, the important thing to take from this is that the Cardinals suck.

Under Armour May Want To Get Themselves A New Poster Boy

There's a Sports Authority within a mile from my work that I like to frequent on my lunch hour. Ever since Opening Day last season, they've had this Under Armour advertisement in the window...





Yes, that's the great Jeff Samardzija pimping for Under Armour. Apparently, the "Under" is short for Underachieving...

Can You Pick Your New Manager Out Of A Lineup?

The Mike Quade era officially begins tonight (throws up in mouth). It is now painfully obvious that Jim Hendry hates us as much as we hate him. You have to admire Hendry on this one, this was the one card he could've played to piss off the rest of his remaining fan base and the motherfucker didn't even hesitate to use it. Well played, Jimbo. Look at the bright side though, it's an immediate upgrade in the third base coaching box. But what do we know about Mike Quade other than the fact I hated him at third? Can you even pick him out of a lineup?

or



or



or



The correct answer is D, although I'd be happier if A, B, or C were named interim manager...

DLee to ATL

It's official, Derrek Lee has been traded to Atlanta. The Cubs get RHPs Robinson Lopez and Tyrelle Harris as well as LHP Jeffrey Lorick in return. Lee will still be at Wrigley this weekend as the Braves come to town for a 3-game set starting on Friday. Please contact Andy at Desipio or Bad Kermit at Hire Jim Essian to inquire about how big of an ovation is allowed and what is not considered acceptable behavior...

Cubs Are So Bad That Even DLee Now Wants Off?

From mlbtraderumors.com:

The Braves are close to trading for Derrek Lee, according to David Kaplan of CSNChicago.com. Lee, who vetoed a deal to the Angels last month, must approve any trade the Cubs propose. Sources close to Lee told Kaplan that the first baseman would likely approve a deal to Atlanta. Kaplan's sources say the trade would be a salary dump and is near completion.
The Cubs owe Lee $3.4MM between now and the end of the season, when he hits free agency. The 34-year-old has a .251/.335/.416 line in 475 plate appearances and projects to be a Type B free agent this offseason.

Kaplan's sources say the trade would be a salary dump? No. Fucking. Shit. If Kaplan's sources didn't explain that, I might have thought that this was the deal that was finally going to put us over the top in 2010 and begin our amazing run towards the playoffs...

Once Again, For Clarification, Derrek Lee Prefers This To Actually Winning Games

Honestly, there's not much more to say. This team is dangerously close to becoming one of the least liked Cubs teams of all-time. They've now dropped 6 in a row, 2 of those by at least 15 runs. Damage can be seen below:

click on boxscore to enhance


Braun and Fielder went a combined 10-14 with 7 RBI in the middle of the lineup. Our dynamic duo? Not so much. But hey, look at the bright side...the Brewers left 33 men on base.

Here's something to make you even more miserable. What's worse? The fact that our pitching staff has been torched the last 6 games giving up 6, 8, 17, 6, 8 & 18 or the fact that the Cubs still know that Samardzija isn't an improvement?

Scoreboard picture courtesy of WAIW.com

DLee Not Interested In Playing For A Contender... But We Are! BLT Demands Trade!

During an impromptu BLT meeting at an undisclosed location last night (bar), the BLT contributors were discussing Derrek Lee and his gutlessness no-trade clause. It is now a near certainty that Lee will finish the year in Chicago and then find out what a first-baseman with declining skills and no desire to win can fetch on the open market.

I can't fathom him wanting to stay. I could understand if this was year 3 or 4 of a 5-year contract. I can understand him not wanting to go to certain teams. But to not even entertain it at all? How can he want to stay, anyone with any sense should want to get out.

And that's when it hit us. DLee might want to stay but there's no reason we have to. So we decided that we were going to demand a trade ourselves. Surely there's a contending team out there that can use our skills free time to blog about their epic journey towards immortality. However, trading us could prove rather difficult considering we're all vested with our 25-2 protection (At least 25 years as a Cubs fan and 2 years with the same blog). So, we began looking into our options.

As of this morning, these are the teams that are realistically in a pennant race:

Yankees

Rays

Red Sox

White Sox

Twins

Rangers

Braves

Phillies

Reds

Cardinals

Padres

Giants

Right off the bat, the Yankees and Red Sox are eliminated. That corner of the market is pretty well covered by countless blogs and ESPN. Also, I don't do meth nor do I sleep with my cousins, so White Sox and Cardinals are out as well. I've rooted for a team led by Dusty Baker once before and let's just say it didn't turn out well. Reds are out. Phillies? Three World Series appearances in three years? I wouldn't know how to handle that...they're out.

That leaves us only half the field with the Rays, Twins, Rangers, Braves, Padres and Giants. We've submitted our list to our GM and we will hopefully hear something soon. Let us know in the comments if you have a preference, we're all in this together...

We Now Bring You The Part Of The Season Where No-Trade Clauses Bite You In The Ass...

From Tim Dierkes at mlbtraderumors.com in regards to Derrek Lee's no-trade clause:

Cubs first baseman Derrek Lee has full no-trade rights. Reporters have consulted Lee's friends for opinions on whether he'd waive them. ESPN's Jayson Stark tweeted today:

A source who has known Lee for years says it's "highly doubtful" he'd waive his full no-trade to OK any deal at this stage.

That runs counter to what Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports wrote 12 days ago:

Lee has remained noncommittal on the issue of his no-trade clause. But some friends of the Cubs first baseman said this week that they believe he would accept a deal to the right team.

Al Yellon of Bleed Cubbie Blue pointed out to me that Lee remarked a few days after Rosenthal's report, "I would bet that not one of my friends knows who Ken Rosenthal is" (Paul Sullivan of the Chicago Tribune via Twitter).

Here's what we know for sure: first basemen aren't in huge demand, Lee's having a lousy season, and he has a hefty $4.95MM left on his contract.

Here's something else we know. Derrek Lee isn't interested in winning, no wonder he's so happy here...