I am a pretty heavy blogger therefore I have been using a news aggregator called memeorandum for quite sometime, to stay connected with the top stories of the day. Memeorandum recenlty has grown to offer Ballbug, which tracks the latest baseball happenings. Check out this post on Somewhat Frank to find out more.

I think Phil Rogers has it right in his recent column, the Chicago Cubs should try and snag unhappy Alfonso Soriano from the Washington Nationals. Though Soriano is prone to the strike out, he also has speed and power at second base and would be another great addition to the top of the Chicago Cubs’ lineup. I say go for it Jim Hendry!

According the WSJ and the latest television ratings the World Baseball Classic was a success. So if you see MLB Commissioner Bud Selig give him a handshake, pat on the back or big hug – I think he needs it.

MLB 2006: The Show, the latest PS2 baseball video game, has caught my attention with some humor and realistic graphics in two different TV commercial campaigns.

The first TV campaign mirrors that of a scene from the movie Bull Durham, giving tidbits to his teammates of what it is like in “The Show.” Clever and definitely laughable!

The second campaign shows all of the super graphics the game produces. Basically, the game looks almost like real life. It is pretty scary how well the graphical players mirror real Major League players. It is darn close to watching a MLB game on TV.

If I played video games, I would definitely give MLB ‘06 The Show a try. It looks pretty sweet in comparison to my recollection of playing Baseball Simulator 1.000 back in 1989.

The Tribune Company owns the Chicago Cubs and has acknowledged the speculation that has swirled for months about the Cubs potentially being for sale. Gary Weitman, a Tribune spokesman was quoted recently (March 18, 2006) in a Chicago Tribune report saying:

“The Cubs are not for sale.”

However, I have found some contradictory opinions in these posts on CubsNet.com and 1060west.

Mark Prior is going to get his shoulder checked out after he experienced shoulder soreness and it is becoming all too familar of a routine for the Chicago Cubs. If it isn’t Kerry Wood headed for surgery it is Mark Prior having stiffness or soreness or something. Hopefully the Chicago Cubs other young arms can carry the weight if both Wood and Prior are missing in action again to start the season.

The Chicago Cubs’ pitching staff has been plaqued with injuries the last couple of years. Though Carlos Zambrano has shined Mark Prior and Kerry Wood have not been 100 percent healthy. This off-season the Cubs signed Wade Miller who has also had arm surgery recently. I like this move by the Cubs, it gives them some possible insurance and starting pitching depth at a time when Kerry Wood needs more surgery (knee). Wade Miller is still recovering himself from arm surgery and may need to take “baby steps” to returning to form but I like the gamble the Cubs have taken by signing him. It could prove to be the best move they have made in the off season. We will have to wait and see.

Bob Brenly, former player and manager and current Cubs broadcaster, has also had similar thoughts and has posted them here.

Do you think this was the Chicago Cubs best off-season move?

Ken Griffey Jr. hit two homeruns and drove in seven runs while Roger Clemens struck out six in 4 and 2/3 innings today (March 10, 2006) as the USA team beat up on South Africa 17-0. You would have thought it was 1995 again the way these two players looked in the prime of their Major League glory days. I’d love to see Junior return to form this season after years of injuries in Cincy. I would love to see Rocket back for one more season too. He is definitely still capable for dominating a game from the mound.

Roger Clemens paid the Texas Rangers complex a “nonchalant” visit today. Is the Rocket looking to play for a new team, the Texas Rangers? According to an ESPN.com report Clemens’ has family and friends in the area and was quoted as saying:

“We’ll see what happens. Whatever, I plan to be around Arlington a lot in the future.”

Now that quote could be taken out of context since Roger could just be planning to visit his friends and family “a lot in the future”. Though, the Rangers’ rotation which currently consists of Kevin Millwood, Adam Eaton, Vicente Padilla, Kameron Loe, and Juan Dominguez would be a lot better with Roger Clemens. Not to mention, I could see Roger ending his career as a Texas Ranger since it mimics the conclusion of Nolan Ryan’s career and just seems like the way to end a Hall of Fame career for a Texas born star.

I just read on Baseball Musings about the fate of the USA baseball team today (March 8, 2006) versus Canada. I was surprised that team USA lost but I guess I should not be because in baseball David can defeat Goliath on any day. That is why they play the games.

Team USA had better buckle down since with another loss they could be left standing around.

Game of Shadows, a new book by Mark Fainaru-Wada and Lance Williams, was has been pre-released to the media today (March 7, 2006) rocking the baseball world with detailed accounts of steroid use by slugger Barry Bonds. The book is said to be based on more than a thousand pages of documents and interviews with more than 200 people, specifies the steroids and administration of steroids by Greg Anderson and Victor Conte to Barry Bonds prior to the 1999 season and beyond. According to the book excerpts posted on ESPN.com:

“By 2001, the authors allege, he was using two designer steroids referred to as the Cream and the Clear, as well as insulin, human growth hormone, testosterone decanoate (a fast-acting steroid known as Mexican beans) and trenbolone, a steroid created to improve the muscle quality of cattle. That’s the same year Bonds broke McGwire’s single-season home run record (70) by belting 73.”

According to a report out of Scottsdale, Arizona today Barry Bonds responded to the new book by saying:

“I won’t even look at it. For what? There’s no need to.”

The reports in the new book do not really surprise me. It does sadden me though since Barry Bonds does not need to take steroids to be a success. It is pretty obvious to me though that Bonds was doing something different starting in 1999. Barry Bonds came up with a similar slender build to Darryl Strawberry and in 1999 his neck was bigger than most NFL players! It just is not normal for a human being to make aggressive body changes around the age of forty, a time when the body should be slowing down.

To read the book for yourself you can pre-order it by clicking here.

Kirby Puckett passed away today (March 6, 2006) as a result of stroke he suffered yesterday in Arizona at the young age of 45 years old. I followed Kirby throughout his career. Kirby was many times the shortest player on the field at only 5′ 8″ but was a testament for hard work and determination. The simple addition of a leg-lift trigger to his batting stance helped to transfer his weight adding pop to his swing which ultimately launched Puck to stardom. I looked up to Kirby Puckett and even played a few games on the field at Triton College in Illinois where he played college baseball.

Minnesota adored Kirby Puckett and he did not let them down. Kirby captivated baseball in 1987 and 1991 as he took over several playoff games to lead his small market team to two World Series championships. I am not even going to dissect his stats – they are superb. Kirby was a first ballot Hall of Famer and I am saddened to hear of Kirby’s death today. The world will miss Kirby Puckett’s leadership and infectious smile.

Wall Street Journal writer Russell Adams recently examined baseball’s season ticket holders and the price of loyalty these days in baseball. The article gave some interesting insight both the latest increases in baseball prices and also into some of the perks that Major League Baseball organizations are turning to. The image below was included in the WSJ article and depicts some of the most interesting points (click to see the full size image).

As a Chicago Cubs season ticket holder with the night and weekend package I have seen the price gradually climb the last four seasons while the team had one solid year and were sub par the rest of the time. Does this make any sense?

The World Baseball Classic has already started and I have been reading the updates but I have yet to see an actual game. I am looking forward to the first USA game on Tuesday (March 7, 2006). Here is the information:

4 p.m. Mexico vs. United States (Phoenix, Ariz.) ESPN2, ESPN Deportes

I am also looking to watch some of the other games so I tracked down the full World Baseball Classic TV schedule that was posted on the Baseball America web site.

Kerry Wood, Chicago Cubs pitcher, appears to be falling apart. Wood has been rehabbing his shoulder which was repaired during the off-season and now it appears has hit a roadblock. Kerry Wood now has a medial meniscus tear that is putting him back on the operating table. The Chicago Cubs organization is calling the surgery ‘minor’ however, I beg to differ.

Since May of last year a family member of mine has been recovering from not one but two similar knee surgeries. The first surgery did not go as well as planned therefore a second was needed to fix the exact same injury Kerry sustained. These surgeries were both said to be ‘minor’ and have proved differently. Barry Bonds last season also had a slow recovery after knee surgery. Therefore, I would be surprised to see Wood back on the mound before the All-Star break. Once Wood can return to throwing he will still need to fully rehab his shoulder which was what shut him down last year. This is becoming all too routine for Kerry Wood, the organization and Cubs fans.

So what do you do with a pitcher that is so fragile to pitch without worrying about injury? I say you put him in the bullpen. Kerry Wood should be the Cubs bullpen closer. Kerry Wood’s body is crumbling and cannot sustain pitching 200 plus innings a season. It is time for the organization to finally admit it and stop clinging to dreams of “1998 Kerry Wood potential.”

I wish Kerry the best on his surgery and a quick recovery. Upon Kerry’s return, I hope the organization finally realizes that he is not the type of pitcher that can shoulder being a starting pitcher and the workhorse of the Cubs staff. If you are looking for a workhorse turn to Carlos Zambrano. Once Kerry and the Cubs realize this, they will be better off.

For additional perspective on the Cub and the Kerry Wood knee situation check out these posts on Baseball Musings, MLB Trade Rumors and GoatRiders.org.