Cub Power outage

In Chicago, the summer of 2007 is gonna be remembered for Thusday's storms that ravaged both the city and suburbs causing widespread flooding, power outages and unthinkable damage to many homes and neighborhoods throughout the area.

The power outages throughout Chicagoland this week have been mimicked all season long at Clark and Addison. The Cubs offense has been not lived up to this winters offensive expectations all season. We have waited and waited for the power to be restored at Wrigley Field. Unlike the outages that hit our neighborhoods this past week, a ComEd crew ain't gonna be able to fix what ails the boys in blue.


If I had told you back in March that on August 26th Derrek Lee would have 14 homeruns, Aramis Ramirez 18, and Alfonso Soriano 18 and the Chicago Cubs would be in first place, you would have called me crazy. Hell, I might have checked myself into the asylum. But that is exactly where the Cubs powerful threesome stands with August dwindling. Even more surprising is beyond those three the Cubs don't have another hitter on the team with double digit homeruns.

It's great to see the Cubs scoring runs by putting together hits that create run scoring rallies. Through the years we have watched many bad Cubs teams hit tons of homeruns, and finish last. So I am not complaining that this team is winning without the long ball. It's just the occassional three run homer is a pretty nice weapon to win a baseball game every now and again.

The Cubs currently have 102 homeruns. Opponents have hit 136 against the Cubs. Even the famous Wrigley Field winds haven't helped the Cubs this summer. In a season that has saw the wind blow in 32 times at Wrigley Field, compared to 14 games blowing out (18 with a crosswind) opponents have hit 69 homers at the friendly confines compared to the Cubs who have hit just 57 at home. So much for home cooking.

As a team, their 102 homeruns rank 14th in the NL, they are 25th in MLB. Despite all of this the team has somehow found a way to play though the power outage. Much of the credit goes to the pitching. Still the hitters have done some damage too. The Cubs rank 7th in the NL in batting average, they rank 8th in runs scored, and they are 9th in OPS. Just think where one of these guys (Lee, Ramirez or Soriano) having an average year would put the team in the runs scored and OPS categories.

Through the first 128 games the Cubs are on pace to hit just 129 homeruns for the season. To put that into proper perspective, the last time a Cub team hit so few homeruns was the awful 1997 season. Remember how bad that club was? There was Mel Rojas, the 0-14 start, and 45 cent beers at Harry Caray's until they won a ballgame (remember those nights gm & v?). 1997 was so bad that at one point I bought three bleacher tickets from scalper for $5 total. I'm no mathemetician but that's $1.67 a ducat! LMAO. That's how bad that Cub team was. That my friends was one forgettable Cubs team and season.

With the return of Alfonso Soiano expected to come this week, possibly as early as Tuesday night, I continue to hope for an increase in the clubs power numbers. If somehow, magically, the power were restored at Wrigley Field it might be the final piece to the puzzle that will make us remember 2007 for more than just an unnamed storm that devastated Chicago on a Thursday afternoon in August.

Update: The playing suface at the Confines
It looks like regardless of what happens with the change in ownership that the club will proceed with having Sox groundskeeper Roger Bossard install a much needed new playing surface at Wrigley Field, which will include a modern pumping system. Dave van Dyck with this in the Tribune:

Sadly, it's not the same at Wrigley, but that could change as soon as this winter. Plans to have Bossard replace the field at baseball's second-oldest park are just waiting for the OK to start in late October, or whenever the Cubs' season is finished. They could proceed even without approval of new ownership.

First the Z contract gets done and now the new field. Wow, looks like the spending freeze is on hold at Clark and Addison. I think Chuck is onto something with the Zell deal being dead.