Starlin Castro Bio - Jersey - Chicago Cubs Future Star

Starlin Castro Bio

Chicago Cubs Star of the Future

With the Chicago Bears in the playoffs, the Chicago Bulls leading their division, it's hard to start thinking about Cubs baseball after the miserable 2010 that they had. However, for a the die hard optimist Cubs fan the season never ends, and opening day breeds new optimism and hope for the elusive World Series Championship.

The Chicago Cubs are waiting for veteran contracts to expire, and seem to be in standby mode, but the Cubs are grooming a young phenom Short Stop who isn't even old enough to order a beer. Starlin Castro came up to the Cubs last year with a lot of potential, but at 20 years old he seemed raw and wouldn't be ready to handle Major League pitching. Not only did Starlin Castro show that he can play baseball in the big leagues, he showed that he could excel!

Starlin Castro finished 5th in the National League in Rookie of the Year voting hitting .300, with a .347 OBA, and only striking out 71 times in over 500 at bats.  Those are phenomenal numbers for a rookie who didn't turn 20 years old until a month before the season started.

There is always the concern that Castro will take a step back and suffer the infamous "sophomore jinx", but Starlin Castro seems to be a young ball player that will be able to handle the pressure. He doesn't rely on power for success. He only hit 3 home runs last year, but showed that he could drive the ball in the gaps. His power should improve as he gets older, and those line drives in the gaps may soon be home runs into the Wrigley Field bleachers.

Starlin Castro is a good fielding shortstop with a strong arm. For such a young kid, he handles the position quite well and plays smart in the field.

The Chicago Cubs may have to rebuild once again, but they have a young building block at shortstop named Starlin Castro that should continue to improve and may just be the kind of leader and future star the Cubs need to lead them to the promised land, end the curse, and fulfill every Cub fans dream.

Starlin Castro Chicago Cubs Home White Pinstripe Jersey

Starlin Castro Chicago Cubs Home White Pinstripe Jersey

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Alphonso Soriano Returns From Injury In Knick of Time

Can Alphonso Soriano give the Cubs some much needed pop to their lineup during their offensive struggles? Lou Piniella, and the Cubs surely hope so. The Brewers have crept within 1 game of the Cubs, while the Cardinals are lurking right behind (only trailing by two games).

Returning from a broken bone in Soriano's hand, it is hard to believe that he will come out of the gates hitting home runs and being a huge force offensively. I look for Soriano to struggle for a week or two, often looking very bad at the plate at times.

The glaring weakness on the Cubs is that they seem to have forgotten to have patience and plate discipline on offense. Early in the season, nearly all of the players were working long counts, drawing a lot of walks, and getting good pitches to hit when they were ahead in the count. Nobody seemed to have pressure on them since everybody was getting on base with regularity. Since about a week before the all star break, their offense started to struggle and everybody in the middle of the order has started to swing at bad pitches. Trying to be the hero and jerk the ball out of the park isn't what guided the Cubs to the top of many of the statistical offensive categories in the National League.

Not only has their offensive struggle, the Cubs bullpen has imploded on several occasions recently, ruining fine performances form the Cubs starting rotation (most notably Rich Harden). With Kerry Wood out with a blister on his finger, Carlos Marmol has to return to form along with the rest of the Cub s middle relief.

The Cubs second half of the season doesn't get any better, since many of their remaining games will be against the St. Louis Cardinals, and Milwaukee Brewers. Their fate is in the own hands. That is what worries Cub fans the most.

Chicago Cubs Weekly Baseball Reviews

After the first 10 games of the season, the Cubs have raised both concerns and optimism.

First of all, it appears that Kosuke Fukudome is the real deal, and should be an on base close to 40 percent of the time. The way that he hits to all fields and goes with whatever the pitcher is given him, makes me believe that he won't endure any long slumps. While he has made a couple of fielding blunders (possibly due to not having any experience in any of these American ball parks.), his arm is very strong and already has gunned down a runner at the plate.

Kerry Wood has three saves, but failed to hold the lead in two of his relief appearances. He will need to be more consistent in the closers role, or his job could be lost to Carlos Marmol.

Carlos Zambrano has been pitching lights out, and looks to flirt with 20 wins once again. Ryan Dempster has been surprisingly solid, but the rest of the staff has struggled at times. Ted Lilly has been rocked in two of his outings, and the Cubs will need some stability out of him.

Aramis Ramirez, and Alphonso Soriano have struggled, but its hard to worry about those two. Its just a matter of time before they will put up their typical numbers. Derrek Lee appears to have his power stroke back, and Geovany Soto is coming along just fine.

All in all, I am satisfied with the Cubs 6-4 start. The Brewers appear to be strong (just as most had expected), and will probably be in the race till the end. The surprise team of the National League has been the Cardinals. I have to believe that they will fade since I only had them figured to be a .500 team at best.

Please leave any of your thoughts!

Kerry Wood Hurt Again - Back Spasms

Here we go again. Kerry Wood has always had hall of fame talent. If only his body would had been able to hold up over the years. Here in 2008 the injury bug has struck again and the Cubs haven't even made it out of Spring Training!

Kerry Wood complained of back spasms and was unable to go in back to back games, which was Lou Piniella's plan to see if his arm would be able to handle the closer's job. Well, the good news, is his arm is fine (atleast according to the Cubs). The bad news, this latest injury is yet another road block for Kerry Wood to overcome.

Kerry Wood has pitched excellent this spring, and Piniella was beginning to lean toward Kerry Wood (over Carlos Marmol) to land the closer's role in the bullpen. Now its all up in the air, and the final couple of weeks in spring training should prove to be very interesting.

1984 Cubs Game 5 Playoff Video

1984 Chicago Cubs Game 5 Playoff Video. The hearts of Cub fans sank in defeat as they watched their first chance at a World Series title since 1969 when they blew a 9 game lead in August to the New York Mets.

1984 Chicago Cubs Roster and Lineup

The 1984 Chicago Cubs had a magical year. Whatever deficiencies they may have had, they made up for it with amazing team chemistry and a gritty style of play.

Bobby Dernier and Ryne Sandberg sparked the team all season long at the top of the order. Gary Mathews all out style of play was contagious and spread throughout the clubhouse. The trade for Rick Sutcliffe could not have worked out better as he went 16-1 as a Chicago Cub. Lee Smith's intimidating presence on the mound and overpowering fastball was the shut down closer that any competitive baseball team needs.

All in all it was a season to remember for all Chicago Cub MLB baseball fans. It ended on a sour note losing two heartbreaking playoff games to the San Diego Padres, but that can change the magical season that the 84 Cubs experienced.

Here is the 25 man roster of the 1984 Chicago Cubs:

33 Porfi Altamirano
42 Rich Bordi
41 Warren Brusstar
43 Dennis Eckersley
39 George Frazier
37 Bill Johnson
38 Ron Meridith
48 Dickie Noles
52 Reggie Patterson
30 Chuck Rainey
47, 48 Rick Reuschel
44 Dick Ruthven
24 Scott Sanderson
43 Don Schulze
46 Lee Smith
49 Tim Stoddard
40 Rick Sutcliffe
34 Steve Trout
# Catchers
7 Jody Davis
15 Ron Hassey
16 Steve Lake
# Infielders
1 Larry Bowa
22 Bill Buckner
11 Ron Cey
10 Leon Durham
18 Richie Hebner
19 Dave Owen
17 Dan Rohn
23 Ryne Sandberg
29 Tom Veryzer
# Outfielders
27 Thad Bosley
28 Henry Cotto
20 Bob Dernier
27 Mel Hall
22 Billy Hatcher
21 Jay Johnstone
12 Davey Lopes
36 Gary Matthews
6 Keith Moreland
25 Gary Woods

1984 Chicago Cubs / Padres Game #5 Playoff

Game #4 of the playoffs took the wind out of me. Steve Garvey's late inning homerun dropped me to my knees. Game five, would knock me out. I remember feeling like I had just went 5 rounds with Ali and I won the first 2. All I needed was one more round under my belt and I would have won a split decision. All that matters though, is that I ended up flat on my back hearing the referee count to 10, but unable to move my body and pull myself to my feet.

Rick Sutcliffe got the start in the deciding game of the 84 NL playoffs. The Cubs rode his back the entire season. He simply could not be beaten.

The Cubs started off quickly in the first inning, thanks to a Gary Mathews walk along with a two run blast by Leon Durham. Two runs would be all the Cubs would need with Rick Sutcliffe on the mound. Atleast, those were the words that I intentionally deceived myself with to temporarily put my anxiety at ease. For the casual fan, they can enjoy a game and root for their team and just hope for the best. For the die hard baseball fan its not that easy. You breathing actually wavers with each pitch when so much is at stake. Its not just a game to a Cubs fan. Its decades of standing up against a curse. Its knowing that you stood strong through all the years of adversity to say that you were there through it all. Its pain.

The Chicago Cubs would score again in the second inning with a solo shot from Jody Davis to make the score 3-0. That would be the last time the Cubs would score in the game. Would that be enough to send the Cubs to the 1984 World Series against the Detroit Tigers? (The same Detroit Tigers that the Cubs faced in the 1945 World Series).

Rick Sutcliffe and the Cubs held the Padres scoreless through the first 5 innings. In the sixth inning, the Padres closed their deficit to 3-2 on a pair of singles by Alan Wiggins and Tony Gwynn, followed by a walk to Steve Garvey, and sacrifice flies by Nettles and Kennedy. I remember the tension that began to build inside my body as Rick Sutcliffe appeared to wear down.

The 7th inning would prove to be the crushing blow dealt by the Padres, by a critical error, and by just pure bad luck. Carmelo Martinez was walked on 4 straight pitches by Sutcliffe, and was moved to second base by a sacrifice from Gary Templeton. Tim Flannery then stepped to the plate and hit a routine ground ball to Leon Durham at first base. I remember this play as if it was in slow motion. It was a ground ball that Durham would have made 99.9% of the time. Durham didn't have to range to his left or to the right. He simply let the ball go right between his legs. Everybody remembers Bill Buckner's fielding blunder in the 1986 World Series but often don't recall Leon Durhams critical error. Cub fans remember well.

What happened next really makes me wonder if the Chicago Cubs curse actually has some substance to it. Tony Gwynn hit a sharp ground ball directly to Ryne Sandberg. The same Ryne Sandberg that went on to win 9 consecutive gold gloves. The ball mysteriously took a bad hop and took off over the outstretched glove of Sandberg. I have seen balls take bad hops throughout my years of watching baseball, but I had never seen a ball just jump over the head of a second baseman. It pains me to even write this post. I had buried some of these memories deep because they still are hard to accept.

The Cubs lost game #5 6-3 and their pursuit of the elusive World Series had ended.

Leon Durhams post game comments : Durham was obviously stunned by the Cubs' downfall. "I've got to let it go, man," he said. "Somebody has to win, and somebody has to lose. I make that play two hundred times in a row. I'll remember it, for sure. It hurts a lot. We had a chance to go to the World Series, and now it's out the window. I still don't believe the season's over."

After his interviews were completed, Durham excused himself and walked to a corner of the clubhouse to talk to Reggie Jackson, who was among the playoff broadcasters. "Don't feel bad, Bull," said Jackson as he put his arm around Durham. "It happens to everybody."

Baseball is such a wonderful game, and luck is involved in each and every game in one shape or form. Such is life. However, I still have a hard time accepting the bad hop ground ball that went over Sandberg's head. I want to lower Leon Durhams glove just two inches on that fateful error. I want to take back a single pitch to Steve Garvey in game #4. 1984 was almost 25 years ago.. A quarter of a century! 2008 marks the 100 year anniversary of the last time the Cubs have won a World Series. I still feel that "wait till next year" has arrived. I await in eager anticipation.

1984 Chicago Cubs Lose Heartbreaking Playoff Series to the San Diego Padres

The 1984 Chicago Cubs gave me my first taste of what it feels like to win, and as a 11 year old kid I was on board and believed with all of my heart that they would finally get back to the World Series.

We had all the makings of of being a MLB champion. Destiny seemed to be on our side. I distinctly remember where I was during game one of the National League playoff game against the San Diego Padres. I had to figure out how I was going to follow the game, since I was in school and they didn't seem to want to stop class to watch a baseball game. I ran the cord of a walk-man up the sleeve of my jean jacket, and kept the radio in the hidden inside pocket. Innocently I leaned over to the right side of the desk as if it was just another boring day in class. I tilted my head and rested my ear up against the palm of my hand with the listening piece waiting for my anticipating ear. It worked beautifully. How, I made it through 4 different classrooms during game #1 and was never discovered is beyond me.

Game #1 the Cubs could do absolutely no wrong. Led by their ace in Rick Sutcliffe, the Cubs went on to crush the padres 13-0. Sutcliffe only surrendered 2 hits over 7 innings while the offense gave him plenty of run support, mashing 5 homeruns. Gary Mathews led the home run onslaught hitting two dingers, while Bob Dernier, Ron Cey, and Rick Sutcliffe each had one of their own.

I went home from school on cloud #9. Sleep was hard to come to me that night, as I pondered game #2's pitching matchups and probable lineup cards. The Cubs won game #2, leaving the beloved Cubs within one single game of the World Series. How could we lose? We still had our two best pitchers available to pitch in the next three games. How could we lose all three?

Well, just as all Cub fans know, the Cubs don't just play against another teams players. They play against a long history of losing, black cats crossing their paths, a curse from a goat, freak improbable mishaps, and a whole slue of baseball gods determined to forbid the Cub players or their fans from feeling just a moment of true bliss. Old men and women, along with their grandchildren, gathered around the television for game #5. It turned out to be a game that is forever burned into my brain. Years later, I don't have to research too many stats, pitchers on the the mound, or mishaps by inning. It is as if it happened just yesterday.

My next posting, I will go into painful detail about the deciding game #5 of the 1984 NLCS playoffs. If your old enough to remember where you were or any memories of this deciding game feel free to post a comment. If your too young to remember, then I hope you can just come away with some sort of understanding how devastating it truly felt to be a true blue Chicago Cubs baseball fan that day. Painful losses, and unfulfilled expectations come with the territory to being ANY sports fan, but the Cubs took us fans to an entirely different level. Still we patiently wait, just the same. 1984 Cubs Baseball Jersey

Dallas Green Turns The Cubs Around

Dallas Green was the significant hire that the Tribune company made after buying the team from the Wrigley family in 1981. His "title" role was executive vice president and general manager. It didn't take long for Dallas Green's presence to be felt throughout the Chicago Cubs organization.

The very first off season that Dallas Green came to the Cubs, he pulled off a key trade that the Chicago Cubs would benefit from for years to come. He sent Ivan Dejesus to the Philadelphia Phillies for the veteran Larry Bowa, and some young minor league infielder named Ryne Sandberg. Ryne Sandberg blossomed in the minor leagues, while Larry Bowa was a steady shortstop for the Cubs during the early 1980's. Ryne Sandberg would eventually be inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2005. Cub fans can thank Dallas Green for bringing the soft spoken golden glove second baseman, that Cub fans would refer to as "Ryno".

Over the next two seasons, Dallas Green continued to rebuild the Cubs baseball team, from top to bottom. He acquired Bob Dernier, and Gary Mathews to take over two of the outfield positions. He traded the much beloved Bill Buckner to the Boston Red Sox for a key man in the rotation, Dennis Eckersley. He traded budding young future star Joe Carter in a package that brought Rick Sutcliffe to the Cubs. Rick Sutcliffe would have the season of his career in 1984 going 16-1 and bringing a long awaited divisional championship to Chicago. The "Red Baron" as he was called, went on to win the NL Cy Young award in 1984. Ryne Sandberg won the MVP award.

Dallas Green brought together key pieces to Chicago, and they all meshed together beautifully in 1984 and put the Cubs into the playoffs for the first time since 1945. Cub fans eagerly awaited, and the smell of victory was in the air. The World Series was only 3 wins away. Only the San Diego Padres stood in the way of the 1984 World Series. The 1984 Cubs / Padres Divisional playoffs will be discussed in the next posting.