2008 Cubs Documentary in the Works

Small little tidbit of info here that I found on the Cubs website. It appears as if before the season started Hollywood contacted the Cubs to film the 2008 season.

Here is the link to the story: Upcoming film to focus on 2008 Cubs

One would think this documentary was ruined with the October collapse of the Cubs, but directors of the piece say, "Winning the World Series would've been icing on the cake for us".

The film will include the normal figureheads of the Chicago Cubs, but also include unexpected appearances from those such as Playboy executive Hugh Hefner.

This all should make for an interesting film considering the directors are saying it was more about the passion and tradition of the Cubs and Cubs fans.

As the last line in the article states, maybe there might be a sequel next year when the Cubs win it all.

Hey, one can only believe right!

Top 10 Sports Movies

Personally, I think a good sports film beats out some of the best drama and action movies. The pure emotion that fuels sports films is on a level of its own.

Here is my list of the top 10 sports movies to date. Feel free to comment if you disagree.

10. For the Love of the Game - Not a movie that everyone knows of, but being a huge baseball fan this movie had to make it into my top ten. Kevin Costner plays a washed up veteran pitcher who has flashbacks through his career. I think it is a must see for any baseball fanatic.



9. Friday Night Lights - For me it's a perfect example of football in a small town. It leaves out the fluff and partying that you see in Varsity Blues and sticks to the pure passion of football in Texas.

8. Rudy - It is the ultimate example of the average joe making a difference and making his dream come true. Rudy is the first sports movie I remember watching a will always rank highly with me.

7. Major League - A true classic baseball film. Maybe it's just that at a young age I was amazed by a closer coming out to the song Wild Thing or the phrase, "Throw them the heat Rick".

6. Remember the Titans - Thie movie just gives me goosebumps at a number of spots. How pure hatred turns into a united team is amazing. The coming together the whites athletes and black athletes is a truly moving story.




5. Rocky IV - I could easily have included the first four Rocky movies individually in my top ten but I decided to just stick with one. I know many people would pick the original Rocky, but for some reason Rocky IV sticks with me. It must be because I like the suspense and dramtic endings in sports and you can't get much better than Rocky knocking out the best of the USSR in Moscow during the Cold War.

4. Bull Durham - An oldie but a good one. Just a great baseball film. Since I can't really explain why, just take a look at this speech given by Kevin Costner. (Excuse some of the language in the speech)



3. Field of Dreams - Maybe it is just Kevin Costner's baseball films I like, but this is the 3rd one in my top ten and is the best baseball movie there is. It goes back into the history of baseball and leaves me in awe every time I watch it. It pretty much ends the arguement of what America's pasttime is...it is baseball.



2. Hoosiers - Small town Indiana basketball. This movies shows how it doesn't take the best athletes to win, just a team coming together for one common goal. It's old school, small gym basketball at it's finest and will go down as not only one of my top sports movies of all time but should be included on everyone's list.



1. Miracle - Alone this is an epic moment in the history of sports and Disney did not disappoint with their movie. Much like Rocky IV, it pits the Soviets vs. the Americans. The passion that surrounded this moment in time is the epitome of sports I feel and shows the true American spirit.



The final seconds should give just about everyone goosebumps...

DO YOU BELIEVE IN MIRACLES!!!

Amazing Grace...How Sweet the Sound

Mark Grace was a teammate in every sense of the word. He spent eleven years with the Chicago Cubs as a dependable first baseman.

(Photo Courtesy www.cubdom.com)

Grace's line-drive power to all parts of the field has enabled him to keep his batting average and run production above average. The first baseman tallied more hits and more doubles than other ballplayer from 1990 to 1999.

Too bad the Cubs were only able to reward Grace with one trip the post season during his stay on the North Side.

Cubs Cross the Aisle to the Liberal Left

What do these men have in common besides playing for the Cubs?

Well, if you are a knowledgeable Cubs fan it becomes quite obvious. These 7 players make up a good portion of the Cubs every day starting line-up during the 2008 season. However, the problem with that is that they end up digging a hole on the catcher's glove side.

Simply put...they are all right handed!

For Cubs management and fans alike it has become quite evident that the Cubs are far too right hand dominant offensively to be consistent. It has also become the main goal for the Cubs this winter.

Two Chicago papers recently spoke to Cubs GM Jim Hendry and Manager Lou Piniella concerning their off season goals.

Possible Moves I See May Happen (in no particular order)

Trade Derrek Lee and open up first base for Micah Hoffpauir or to sign Mark Teixeira.

Continue the pursuit of Brian Roberts this winter and then deal with where to put DeRosa and Fukudome as well as what to do in center.

Go after free agents Bobby Abreu and Rafael Furcal (possibly)

Surprise everyone and sign Manny (unrealistic but one can only hope right)

The core pieces are there for the Cubs to be successful, but look for them to shake things up a little this winter.

I Thought the State of Iowa had a No Smoking Ban

Okay so I apologize to everyone who may be looking for my latest Cubs blog to be posted here, but I came across something that as an avid hater of the Iowa State Cyclones I couldn't pass up sharing with everyone.




Now I am sorry, but this made me fall over laughing the first time I saw it. One would think they should worry more about their on the field play instead of having to make such a dramatic entrance.

Apologies for deviating from the Cubs, but I saw this as a must share piece.

Job Accomplished...Who Is Next to Sign on the Dotted Line?

The Cubs inked Jim Hendry to a four-year extension, making him the Cubs Gm through the 2012 season.

With the contract of the mastermind behind the Cubs recent success now done....what off-season task of the Cubs comes next?

Ryan Dempster or Kerry Wood?

Humor cures all doesn't it?

As a Cubs fan, one has to have a sense of humor to survive after disappointing post season defeats like this year.

Check out this Saturday Night Live bit featuring Cubs fan Bill Murray.



Even for the most extreme of Cubs fans, this bit brings out at least a small laugh. But the look on Bill Murray's face throughout is absolutely priceless!

Chairman Kenney Says No to Mariners

(Photo Courtesy baseballistic.wordpress.com)

A little breaking news that came across the news wire today.

According to the Chicago Tribune staff writer Phil Rogers, Cubs Chairman Crane Kenney recently declined to give the Seattle Mariners permission to talk to Hendry about their vacant GM position.

The Mariners had hoped Hendry would be available because 2008 was the last guaranteed year of his contract.

Hendry holds an option for the 2009 season and rumors surrounding the GM have stated that a three year extension is being discussed, but no deal is in place yet.

The sale of the Chicago Cubs seems to be one factor that is holding up the extension of Hendry.

Faith in Fukudome

Photo courtsey of www.dailyillini.com

I think what needs to be done with Fukudome this off-season is exactly what he says needs to be done, IMPROVE!

As Fukudome stated in a recent article:

“I think the point is that I need to perform better next year, period. It doesn't matter if Lou or [general manager] Jim Hendry have confidence in me or high expectations of me. It's irrelevant. I need to perform better."

But listen, Fukudome hasn’t lost the ability to play the game, he just needs to make adjustments to the American game. Yes, he is not the normal rookie fans see in the Majors, but at the same time I think some people looked at the salary figure instead of the years of MLB experience.

Rookies are destined to go through growing pains in their first year in the Majors and that is what we saw with Fukudome. What will make or break Fukudome is what he learns from the 2008 season and how he makes himself better for 2009.

I have no doubt that the Cubs will go after another left-handed outfield this off-season in the event that Fukudome can’t get things straightened out, but I think you stay the course with him.

He is the best glove the Cubs have had in right field since at least I can remember. He is exactly the type of guy I want on the Cubs as well. He works hard, he plays his role and always thinks about the team. For those that don’t think so read this article by Paul Sullivan where it reads:

Kosuke Fukudome was briefing the media at Wrigley Field on Tuesday afternoon before leaving to spend his off-season in Japan, when he was asked how he’d feel if he went into spring training next year without knowing he’d have a starting job?

“I could not care less,” he said through a translator.

The man who signed for $48 million over four years would not care if he wasn’t starting?
Fukudome was then asked to clarify what he meant by the comment “I could not care less.”

“If it means that there will be competition in right field, all I have to do is win that competition,” he replied.

The man is not pulling a Phillip Bates at Iowa State and quitting, sorry I had to add a little dig in there to Iowa State. Fukudome is seeing this as a challenge and is prepared to take it head on.

He is going to be around the Cubs for at least another 3 years and I think some people are getting a little bit ahead of themselves in saying the Fukudome experiment was a failure.

Everything that made Fukudome a feared hitter the first half of the season made him go into a funk in the second half. He was off balance way too often, uncharacteristically impatient and seemed to have lost his eye at the plate.

The Cubs have had thoughts about possibly bringing in a Japanese hitting coach to work with Fukudome. I think if that works, go for it. But I also think Gerald Perry will work too.

Fukudome just needs to make the corrections that every MLB player does and get better. Fukudome will be the first to tell you he has to improve too.

The Cubs, and Cub fans alike need to take a deep breath and relax. Fukudome just completed his first years in the Majors. Give him a chance and see what he can do this off-season and where that leads us come next April when as always it will be the Cubs year!

Week In Review - October 5-11

The Chicago Sun-Times reported that Rich Harden will not need surgery on his right shoulder, and the Cubs exercised the $7 million club option on the right-hander for 2009.

The Daily Herald reported that the Cubs will bring back the entire coaching staff for 2009.

The Chicago Sun-Times reported that the Cubs will be players again this coming off-season for Brian Roberts and for CC Sabathia.

MLB Trade Rumors reported a number of rooms surrounding the Cubs for this coming off-season including going after Rafael Furcal and a left-handed bat.

Remembering Ryno

(Photo courtesy of www.baseballhalloffame.org)

Ryne Sandberg - a hard-working ballplayer - was a natural star without the usual ego. With Sandberg at second, the Cubs won two division titles but failed to reach the World Series. Sandberg himself always played well in the clutch, hitting .385 in the playoffs for his career.

Defensively, Sandberg ranks as one of the best second basemen of all time. He once had a streak of 123 errorless games (an NL record) and went four years without a single throwing error.

At the end of 1989 he broke Manny Trillo's second base record of 89 consecutive errorless games, with manager Don Zimmer playing him for only one inning in each of the last three games of the season. Upon retirement, his career fielding percentage of .989 tied Tommy Herr's all-time record at the position.

From 1984 through 1993, Sandberg sealed his reputation with ten consecutive All-Star appearances; he was the NL's starting second baseman in all but one of those games.

In 1994, at the age of 35, Sandberg announced his retirement from baseball. Sandberg made a comeback in 1996 and when he finally retired for good in 1997 his last hurrah had pushed him over the 1,000 RBI mark and past Joe Morgan's all-time record for career home runs by a second baseman.

Sandberg is now a minor league coach in the Cubs farm system.

A Demoralizing Week and Weekend

So Cub nation is going to have to wait another year before possibly ending their World Series drought after being swept by the Dodgers in the NLDS.

The Cubs pitching staff was unable to keep the Dodgers off the scoreboard and the Cubs bats were about as silent as they had been all season long. For the first time all year overall team defense was as questionable as ever.

Consulting a sleep doctor to obtain proper sleep for the team and a blessing by a priest couldn't even help this team get over the hump.

I don't have any answers for what went wrong, because just about everything did go wrong. But I am one Cubs fan who is going to try and look to the bright future ahead instead of looking at what went wrong in the past.

Best of luck to the Dodgers, they are a very strong team. Their pitching is clutch and their order top to bottom is as dangerous if not more so then any other team remaining in the playoffs.

With the season now over for the Cubs, I will now look to the off season and look into what the Cubs should do to improve for next season as well as analyze any moves the Cubs do make.

Many Battles Left to Fight

So tonight's Game 1 performance by the Cubs was less then desirable. After DeRosa's two run homer the team was unable to string together anything against Lowe and the Dodger bullpen.

Dempster's performance - Dempster had the least amount of control over his pitches that I have seen so far this season. He was able to work his way out of early troubles but ended up getting bit by his lack of control in the 5th inning.

Defense - I was pleasantly surprised with the outfield work of Soriano tonight. His running catch into the ivy showed me that he is improving as an outfielder. Earlier in the season he would have slowed up and fielded it off of the wall. Our defense was very good tonight, especially Fukudome's play in foul territory.

Offense - DeRosa's home run was about all the Cubs could put together off of the Dodgers tonight. In order to win the series the Cubs bats are going to have to come alive and help support the pitching staff.

Prediction for Game 2 - I have faith in Big Z to come out and put the Cubs on his back and lead them to a Game 2 victory to tie the series at 1-1.

Remembering "The Red Baron"

(Photo courtesy of www.boysofspring.com)

Rick Sutcliffe, nicknamed "The Red Baron", joined the Chicago Cubs in the middle of the 1984 season. After 4-5 start in Cleveland, he went 16-1 for Chicago to earn a unanimous vote as NL Cy Young Award winner, the first winner ever to split a season between the AL and NL. He won Chicago's pennant-clinching game and Game One of the 1984 LCS, but lost the decisive fifth game.

In March of 2008, he was diagnosed with colon cancer and underwent chemotherapy and radiation treatments during the spring of 2008 and returned to work with ESPN on May 21, 2008