Wrigley Roundtable

Once again it's time for our weekly segment in which we debate a selected matter of interest. The topics could range from the Cubs to baseball or other sports, to movies and music. Our panel of bartenders will weigh in, and we invite any of our readers to offer their two cents as well. So grab a beer and a handful of stale popcorn and tell us what you think.

Today's Topic: Singing the stretch, is it time for a change?


Looking back I have fond memories of watching the Cubs games on WGN. So many day games, watching Ryno, Dawson, Dunston and the rest, and of course listening to Harry Caray sing "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" at the stretch. Harry would lean out the broadcast window and bellow "Lemme hear ya!" as the crowd cheered on. No matter what, win or lose, you could count on Harry to sing with such light-hearted enthusiasm that you couldn't help being lost in the moment.

Of course Harry passed away in 1998, and as a nice tribute to him, they began having various guest conductors sing the stretch. The first few years it was kind of cool to see all these different personalities in the booth. Fast forward 10 years later however and it has really turned into a stale, tired routine.

You have celebrities that not only don't follow the Cubs, but sometimes don't even know the words to the damn song. And heaven forbid we need to get ourselves fired up for a rally in the bottom of the 7th. Sorry but the vocal stylings of Phil Donahue isn't going to get this crowd pumped up. And even then, the regular celebrities that are Cubs fans don't really do much for me. Oh look, Jeff Garland is singing......again.

Plus it's been long enough that you now have a generation of kids that don't really know why we have guest conductors all the time in the first place. Sure they've heard about Harry Caray, but to them the guest conductors are the tradition at Wrigley not the legend who started it.

So here's my thought. Why not do away with the guest conductors. It's a tired schtick and more often than not it involves people that don't really belong there belting out uninspired renditions. Limit it to just the guys in the broadcast booth. Let Pat and Ron take turns and let Len have a chance to belt out a few voice cracking notes now and then*. But when we really need that extra boost, like when the game is tied or we need to get a comeback rally going, that's when you bust out an old recording of Harry Caray singing. Seriously, how pumped up would you be at the stadium if you suddenly heard the old familiar hollering of Harry? I can't see how the crowd could get more fired up than that, and it would be a much, much greater tribute to Harry than, oh say, this, this, or this.

*note that I didn't mention Bob Brenly. I can't imagine Bob singing it. You would have to change it to the "seventh inning buzzkill" if he did. No offense Bob but you're just not all that exciting.

Wrigley Roundtable

Once again it's time for our weekly segment in which we debate a selected matter of interest. The topics could range from the Cubs to baseball or other sports, to movies and music. Our panel of bartenders will weigh in, and we invite any of our readers to offer their two cents as well. So grab a beer and a handful of stale popcorn and tell us what you think.

Today's Topic: Where Does Jeff Samardzija Fit Best?

Because of the doubleheader yesterday, the rotation is all screwy. And since we don't want Jason "de Sade" Marquis to start on short rest (Do we ever want him to start?), someone's gonna have to step in on Sunday.

An interesting name has come up. And it's not just interesting because it's spelled funny. Jeff Samardzija is one of the possibilities. The good? He's been pretty solid out of the bullpen so far. Sure, he makes things a bit dicey at times, but you can't argue with a 1.42 ERA and just over a strikeout an inning. The bad? Almost half the pitches he throws are balls, which a starter will most likely not be able to get away with. Plus, the Cub rotation is one of its strengths and the case can be made that Jeff is more valuable in the bullpen stacking up behind Marmol and Wood.

So where do you stand? Is Samardzija more valuable to the Cubs as a potential starter or sticking with him in the bullpen?

Wrigley Roundtable

Once again it's time for our weekly segment in which we debate a selected matter of interest. The topics could range from the Cubs to baseball or other sports, to movies and music. Our panel of bartenders will weigh in, and we invite any of our readers to offer their two cents as well. So grab a beer and a handful of stale popcorn and tell us what you think.

Today's Topic: Who Is Your Least Favorite Cub Of All Time?

Scott Eyre? Gone. Fantastic. We can only hope that Bob Howry follows him out the door.

Seriously, watching Howry come in over the last few games has reminded me of what it was like to watch such fantastic Cub relievers of the past, like LaTroy Hawkins and Antonio Alfonseca, guys who when you saw them come in, your balls (or respective genitals) would tighten and you're prepare yourself for a terrible adventure.

But why stop there? Any Corey Patterson haters out there? How many of you have any fond memories of Hee-Sop Choi? Childhood memories of multiple Mark Bellhorn strikeouts in every game still keep you up at night?

Who's your least favorite Cub of the past or present? I'd have to say that mine's a tie between Jeff Blauser and Todd Hundley. Blauser always bothered me for no reason whatsoever, the same way I feel about Jeff Kent. And Hundley was just a dick. If you flip off the Cubs crowd after a homerun, you're a douchebag for life. Asshole.

Wrigley Roundtable

Once again it's time for our weekly segment in which we debate a selected matter of interest. The topics could range from the Cubs to baseball or other sports, to movies and music. Our panel of bartenders will weigh in, and we invite any of our readers to offer their two cents as well. So grab a beer and a handful of stale popcorn and tell us what you think.

Today's Topic: With Woody on the DL, will giving Marmol the role of the closer regain his confidence?

If you look at Carlos Marmol's season up until about a month ago he was a sure-fire all star. But things started to fall apart culminating in an epic collapse against the Giants where he faced ten batters in the ninth inning and wasn't able to strike anyone out surrendering a five run lead. A few days off for the all star break was just what the doctor ordered to give him a break and let him sort out his confidence problem. Then our very own Closerbeard had a blister flare up on his index finger so Marmol was bumped into the rotation.

So what happened? For those of us that actually fought through the entire train wreck of a game we got to see Carlos come out and throw some nasty stuff in extras and rack up two K's. It looked like he was back to his old self.

Now Wood is on the 15 day DL and Marmol has taken over the job of closer for at least the time being. Will a few good outings like his all star performance be enough to jump start his confidence back to form? Could this just compound the stress on his shoulders and make him go all LaTroy Hawkins on us? Will the delivery guy with my Thai food ever get to my office? Readers, I put it to you.

Wrigley Roundtable

Once again it's time for our weekly segment in which we debate a selected matter of interest. The topics could range from the Cubs to baseball or other sports, to movies and music. Our panel of bartenders will weigh in, and we invite any of our readers to offer their two cents as well. So grab a beer and a handful of stale popcorn and tell us what you think.

Today's Topic: Don't Mess With Success?

There's no question that the Cubs are playing fantastic baseball. Chaim Witz is leading the charge here around the Saloon, professing his love for this year's Cubs while sporting one of the largest Cubs-induced erections anyone has seen in the last century.

Here's the catch: The Cubs are 7-1 since Alfonso Soriano hurt himself. Right now we have Reed Johnson, Felix Pie, Daryle Ward, Matt Murton, Fukudome, Mark DeRosa, Fontenot and Theriot somehow all sharing the at-bat's for 5 positions. Somehow, it's working. Mad genius Lou can do no wrong.

So here's the question: Will bringing back Soriano rock the boat? Obviously Soriano is talented and you aren't going to keep him on the bench if he's good enough to play, but will it screw with the offensive success we've been enjoying over the last week or so? And if he comes back and Lou sticks him in the lower half of the order, will he become some kind of distraction?

Wrigley Roundtable

Once again it's time for our weekly segment in which we debate a selected matter of interest. The topics could range from the Cubs to baseball or other sports, to movies and music.

Our panel of bartenders will weigh in, and we invite any of our readers to offer their two cents as well. So grab a beer and a handful of stale popcorn and tell us what you think.

Today's topic: Fear the Redbirds?

Well with last night's win, the Cubs expand their lead over the Brewers to 2.5 games. That's good news right? Here's the not so good news. The Brewers have dropped to third as the St. Louis Cardinals have taken over second place, just 2 games behind us.

So the question now is, should we really be worried? I'll hang up now and listen to your response.

Wrigley Roundtable

Once again it's time for our weekly segment in which we debate a selected matter of interest. The topics could range from the Cubs to baseball or other sports, to movies and music.

Our panel of bartenders will weigh in, and we invite any of our readers to offer their two cents as well. So grab a beer and a handful of stale popcorn and tell us what you think.

Today's topic: A New Theme Song for the Cubs?

Following up yesterday's post from Tommy Buzanis, today we'll discuss our candidates to be the Cubs official theme song for their pennant chase/championship run. The comments have come pouring in and somehow I've been stuck with the task of sorting through all the suggestions and coming up with a worthwhile list. Anyway after much consideration, here are the finalists*.

"Glory Days" by Bruce Springsteen - I think knowing this song is part of the U.S. citizenship exam. The Boss' raspy singing may be tough to decipher at times, but pretty much everyone can belt out the chorus. The connection to baseball makes this song an obvious choice as well.

"Baba O'Riley" by The Who - The Who wrote monstrous rock songs, destined to be played in large arenas, so Baba O'Riley would work well for a large pumped-up crowd. The song's lyrics and meaning really have nothing that ties in to baseball or the Cubs, but who cares really? I mean Boston fans all sing along to Neil Diamond for God's sake. We can rock harder than that at least.

"I Want You to Want Me" by Cheap Trick - A band with somewhat local ties (they're from Rockford). I know "Surrender" was suggested but I think this song is much better for singing in a large crowd setting. Obviously 'Live from Budokan' would be the preferred version.

"My Kind of Town" by Frank Sinatra - Not to be confused with the song "Chicago", which Frank also sang. Kids, if you're not familiar with this, it's high time you hopped on iTunes and downloaded some Sinatra. He's way cooler than that Plain White T's or Akorn (sic) crap you're listening to.

"Don't Stop Me Now" by Queen - We had to include something from our first ever War Hero.

"I Believe in Miracles" by Pearl Jam - Obviously the title is fitting for a Cubs playoff run. Plus Eddie Vedder is a lifelong fan, which makes Pearl Jam an appropriate choice.

"Heroes" by David Bowie - It's been used in commercials and other sporting events before but would still be a great song to hear after a playoff win.

"You're the Best" by Joe Esposito - Sweep the leg, Zambrano!

There will be a poll in the right-hand sidebar for readers to pick their favorite. I also hope to get these songs loaded onto TMS Radio in the next day or so for folks to hear.

UPDATE: Baba O'Riley won the poll. So from now on, if you're at home, at the bar, a bar mitzvah, whatever, be sure to blast it following every Cubs win.

*Please note that we intentionally left out "Sweet Home Chicago". It's become tired and overplayed and would be incredibly cliché.

Wrigley Roundtable

Once again it's time for our weekly segment in which we debate a selected matter of interest. The topics could range from the Cubs to baseball or other sports, to movies and music.

Our panel of bartenders will weigh in, and we invite any of our readers to offer their two cents as well. So grab a beer and a handful of stale popcorn and tell us what you think.

Today's topic: The Best of All-Time......on Celluloid.

Well he finally did it. Barry Bonds hit home run number 756*. Yes I will include the asterisk anytime I mention that number. The asterisk is somewhat fitting punctuation for Bonds, being that it kind of looks like an asshole.

Anyway, now that it's finally happened, I'm sure every sports blog, newspaper column and talk radio show is going to drone on about Mr. Bonds today. I don't really feel like following suit. So instead of discussing Mr. Asterisk's merits and whether he's the greatest ballplayer ever, I thought we could argue who's the greatest of all-time on the silver screen.

What ballplayer from cinema was the best? Of course one of the first one's to come to my mind is Roy Hobbs, one of the most gifted all-around players. But Roy was hindered by the gunshot wound in his youth, and never quite fulfilled his legacy. There's also Crash Davis, but how much merit do you give a lifer in the farm system? Greatest minor leaguer is a somewhat dubious honor. Then there was the young protege Nuke LaLoosh. We never see how is career ends up in the big leagues, but we can always speculate. Of course we also have to assume that someone with a delivery as piss poor as Tim Robbins' in that movie would be able to even make it to the bigs.

And there in lies the beauty of this argument. There isn't any wrong answer and you can let your imagination fly with this one. You can be as technical as you want. Or you can cast out realism and exclaim that Henry Rowengartner from Rookie of the Year was the greatest ever.

The only rule is they have to be fictional. So forget movies like 61* and Pride of the Yankees.

Wrigley Roundtable

Once again it's time for our weekly segment in which we debate a selected matter of interest. The topics could range from the Cubs to baseball or other sports, to movies and music.

Our panel of bartenders will weigh in, and we invite any of our readers to offer their two cents as well. So grab a beer and a handful of stale popcorn and tell us what you think.

Today's topic: The MLB Trade Deadline: Winners & Losers

Well the trade deadline passed with the fervor and excitement of a Nick Drake album. The two biggest moves were Mark Teixeira to the Braves and Eric Gagne to the Red Sox, but there were smaller deals as well. The Dodgers shipped Wilson Betemit to New York for Scott Proctor, the Braves also got Octavio Dotel from the Royals, the Padres acquired Morgan Ensberg and Rob Mackowiak, and the Twins sent Luis Castillo to the Mets. There were some deals earlier in the week as well like Kyle Lohse to the Phillies and Scott Linebrink to the Brewers.

So who were the winners and losers? While some teams made trades, others in contention such as the Cubs, Angels, Indians and Tigers stood idle at the deadline. Was that the right move? And do these deadline deals benefit a team more from a psychological standpoint? Surely a trade for a middle relief pitcher may not be the end all be all of blockbusters, but does a move like that serve as a reaffirmation to the fans and players from management, that they are determined to win?

Wrigley Roundtable

Once again it's time for our weekly segment in which we debate a selected matter of interest. The topics could range from the Cubs to baseball or other sports, to movies and music.

Our panel of bartenders will weigh in, and we invite any of our readers to offer their two cents as well. So grab a beer and a handful of stale popcorn and tell us what you think.

Today's topic: The MLB Trade Deadline

It's the most wonderful time of the year again. No child, not Christmas. It's the run-up to the Major League Baseball trading deadline (Tuesday, 4pm EST). However, much like Christmas, the trading deadline seems to lose it's excitement and impact as the years go by. When the potential trading block holds Mark Teixeira, Chad Cordero, and Octavio Dotel as its prized gifts from Santa, the collective sigh can be heard all the way to Japan. The consensus among GMs and scouts is that there are no major deals brewing, as teams have placed too high of a premium on their minor league talent, and wouldn't dare pawn off a few young chips for a relief pitcher who may or may not help in the pursuit of the Wild Card berth. Too many teams claim to still be in it, however unrealistic their logic may be. So who will move? Troy Glaus, Jermaine Dye, Joe Kennedy? The Angels are reportedly pursuing Paul Konerko. Will the White Sox blow everything up and start over? What moves will the Yankees and Red Sox make? Was Jon Lester's comeback appearance simply trade bait? Will the Dodgers find a bat? Will the Cubs solidify their relief corps, or bring in a righty off the bench? Perhaps more importantly, what youngsters will these playoff teams sacrifice at the alter of October. Discuss.

Wrigley Roundtable

Today, we would like to begin a weekly segment in which we debate a selected matter of interest. The topics could range from the Cubs to baseball or other sports, to movies and music.

Today's topic: Zack Greinke to the Cubs?

There are some rumblings about a possible deal that would bring Royals pitcher Zack Greinke to the Cubs. Greinke was the 5th overall pick in the 2002 draft, coming right out of high school. He was a highly touted prospect, often drawing comparisons to Greg Maddux and Bret Saberhagen. After a great minor league campaign in 2003, where he went 15-4 with a 1.93 ERA, Zack made the Royals' starting rotation in 2004 and posted an 8-11 record with a 3.97 ERA. However things took a downward turn after that. He followed up a solid rookie season with disappointing 2005, finishing 5-17 with a 5.80 ERA. In 2006, Greinke left camp for personal reasons. He would later be placed on the 60-day DL for psychological issues, which was later determined to be social anxiety disorder. He walked away from the game and sought treatment. He came back this season looking more like his old self again and earned a spot in the Kansas City rotation. However after a handful of shaky outings, Zack was relegated to the bullpen, but is finding new life as a solid setup man and possible closer. His ability to throw heat in the upper 90's in short outings has increased his value as a reliever.

So would acquiring Greinke be a good move for the Cubs? Would he be a valuable piece to the bullpen? Who would the Cubs have to give up in order to get him? I've heard Patterson and Cedeno's names thrown around. Would Greinke be able to handle pitching in Wrigley where the pressure would undoubtedly be higher than what he's faced in KC?

Our panel of bartenders will weigh in, and we invite any of our readers to offer their two cents as well. So grab a beer and a handful of stale popcorn and tell us what you think.