Another three hours down the drain

I'm always miffed by my emotional reactions to an evening with the Chicago Cubs.

If the Cubs win, there is little to no remorse. Indulging in three hours of baseball is easily validated by a Cub victory. Hell, if the victory is emotional enough, I might even be persuaded to speak with my fellow friends via the cell phone.

Yet, if the Bruins lose, I come out of the experience feeling hollow.

Where did the time go?

I could've contacted people regarding the upcoming show. I could've seen a show. I could've written a show. I could've spent more time with my sick wife. I could've seen my neices. I could've finally moved my golf clubs from the back seat upstairs to the closet where they belong. I could've called Tracey. I could've called a bunch of people. I could've called Alex. I could've called Tony. I could've gone for a long walk. I could've finished that Sammy Sosa article. I could've posted my resume on-line. I could've lined up everything for tomorrow.

The time is lost. Year after year, I reflect on games that made my life inept.

It isn't the losing that's painful.

It's the realization that we've wasted three-four hours on a game when reality waited in the wings.

The depression after the final out in Game 7 of the 2003 NLCS wasn't from blowing a 3-1 series lead. It was from the realization that we had just poured our hearts open for six greuling months, and received nothing in return.

It's dedication to fate.

How tragic. How comedic. How human.

At least I got the laundry done.

Cubs at Stros (chat tonight!) 7pm

Here it comes, guys!

Maybe We Could!

Ghost of Paul Noce has dedicated itself unilaterally to one single statement:

"Maybe, We Could!" is the new 2008 Chicago Cub fans motto.

In an era where people feel obligated to cast bold statements and press their doctrine to the fire, we here at Paul Noce feel we should take a completely opposing course of action.

"Maybe, We Could!" lets people know that we are behind our Chicago Cubs 100%, yet we are also knowledgeable of how early season success can blind the masses into a false sense of security.

So, while many may say, 'It's Gonna Happen!', we are here to say "Maybe, We Could!"

Say it loud, say it proud:

"Maybe, We Could!"

Anywho, to tonight's action. Ted Lilly has been solid lately, and he will take the mound against the agint Moehler.

Oddly enough, the red hot Houston Astros do not hit Lilly well:
1. Miguel Tejada, who saw a lot of Lilly in the American League is only 3/24 lifetime against the southpaw.
2. Carlos Lee, a Cub killer, is only 5/21 career against Lilly. Much below his stats against other Cub pitchers.
3. Mark Loretta is the only guy with decent success against Ted, hitting .294 with 2HR, 3RBI in 17 at-bats.

Moehler, on the other hand, has been absolutely scorched by the current Cub roster:
1. Jim Edmonds, who should start tonight, has a .344/.417/.938 clip against the righty. He has an unreal 5HR, 10RBI in only 32 at-bats.
2. In 81 atbats, the current Cub roster hits a .345/.394/.690 clip against him.

Looks good on paper, don't it? Yet, over the weekend, the only game the Cubs lost to Pittsburgh was the game featuring a HOT Carlos Zambrano. Go figure.

Anywho, "Maybe We Could!"

Week 7 Review

Week in Review



Let me take you back a few months ago to the Hilton in Chicago, Illinois.

Maybe it was due to the Bears not being in the playoffs, the Bulls sucking, or the fact that every college hoops team within Illinois was garbage, but their was a lot more buzz surrounding the Chicago Cubs.

The Cubs had signed Fukudome and were set to acquire Brian Roberts any day. Rumors swirled all around the Hilton that Roberts would be a Cub at any moment. Even Jim Hendry all but said that the Cubs would acquire Roberts.

Roberts may still become a Cub, but for right now Sean Gallagher is the Cubs # 4 pitcher and Cedeno is filling the role as the Cubs extra infielder. We've heard it before, "Sometimes the best trades you make are the trades you don't make." That's not meant to be a slam on Roberts who would look great in a Cub uniform, but it's a credit to Cedeno and Gallagher.

Lets take a look at another solid week that saw the Cubs go 5-2.



Pitching/ Congrats to the entire Cubs starting rotation. All five starters picked up a win this week.. Zambrano started the week off with 7 solid innings and Marquis finished the week with 6 solid innings. The best start of the week goes to Dempster who threw 8 1/3 of scoreless innings.

Zambrano and Marmol both hit a bump in the road on Saturday with Marmol picking up his first loss of the year. Marmol has given up just two home runs this season, both were off the very dangerous Nate McLoud.

As for the Rest of the pen Michael Wuertz was outstanding going 6 innings 0 walks and 2 hits and o runs. Kerry Wood who started the home stand with a save finished with a save. Wood is 5 out of his last 5 giving up just one run and one walk.



Offense/ .516 7 HR 14 RBI. Please don't confuse those numbers with the numbers I put up in week 3 of little league 15 years ago. Those are the numbers of Alfonso Soriano who had one of the greatest weeks I have ever seen.

While the Cubs 3-5 hitters combined to pick up just 15 hits this week Soriano had 17 hits himself. Geovany Soto and Marc De Rosa continued to pound the ball at home. Soto drove in 6 and De Rosa drove in 3 with a home run.

As a whole, the Cubs did not do a great job of hitting this week, but when you have as many offensive stars as the Cubs it's a good bet that at least two of them will pick up the slack for the rest of the offense. This week it was Soriano, next week it might be Aramis. There's way to many offensive weapons on this team. What a special lineup this is....

Recap/ The Cubs finished the week 5-2. They had their greatest home stand since 1978 going 8-2. While the Padres have struggled, the Pirates came to town as one of the hottest teams in the game. The Cubs cooled them down. All one needs to do is take two steps back and look at the 2008 Cubs. While it's still early, it's very difficult to try and convince someone that this team is not one of the best teams in the NL..

Sure the Cubs have a few holes. They will need another starter before it's over, and they may need another left handed hitter especially if Edmonds doesn't work out. However, what should excite Cub fans is they have a lot of young talent that they can move for quality proven talent come July 31st.

Up Next/ As good as the Cubs have been at home this season, they haven't been to good on the road. The Cubs have lost 4 out of their 5 road series this season.. They will have a chance to improve on that as they embark on a 6 game road trip... The trip starts with three in Houston, and finishes with 3 in Pittsburgh. Looks like a 3-3 trip.. Til next week..

Pittsburgh Pirates at Chicago Cubs, 1:20 PM

Land of the Retards

It's almost as if the buffoonery regarding the dialogue between Cub fans amidst the Jim Edmonds signing has degenerated into a drunken blithering dropping of fecal matter that one would only see in the latter innings of a Cubs blowout in the right-field bleachers.

Like many loud verbal dispatches, the issue regarding Jim Edmonds gets twisted. The debate should center around Edmonds' ability. It should not be focusing on where he previously played.

I will propose some questions from fellow Cub fans in this debate, then I will debunk them. Not in any scientific matter, but in a matter that makes them feel retarded. Because, in the end, they are. I will kill morons on both sides.

1) "I hated Jim Edmonds so much as a St. Louis Cardinal, I can't picture him as a Chicago Cub!"
Well, you my friend, are a retard. Go sit in the bleachers, drink some seven dollar beer, and go ogle some 17 year old girl. Any fan of any team that wants to win will cheer for any player that will help them win.

2) "How can you hate this signing?! We just got one solid defensive player, and a veteran who's a proven winner! You must be one of those Edmonds haters!"
I can't tell you on how many levels I hate these comments. Just because you dislike the signing, doesn't mean you were somebody who hates Jim Edmonds.

These days this crap gets thrown all over the place.

People think that if you don't support the war, you must hate the soldiers.
People think that if you dislike Hillary Clinton, you can't support women.
People think that if you don't like Sammy Sosa, you should've never cheered for him.
People think that if you dislike Barack Obama, you must hate black people.

It's overload. It's guilty by association. The fact is the overwhelming majority of Cubdom with an IQ over 6 could care less where Jim Edmonds came from, what he's done, or ANYTHING.

Think Green Bay Packer fans cared when Jim McMahon or Steve McMichael came over? Think Cub fans hated getting Leon Durham from St. Louis? Did Cardinal fans boo Bruce Sutter when he came over? Hell, no! If you win, people will love you.

So, to Jay Mariotti, and the rest of the retards, here's why Cub fans (with an IQ over 6) hate the Jim Edmonds signing:

1. He's slow
By signing Jim Edmonds, and sending Felix Pie down to Iowa the Cubs just got much slower. Many people on the other side of the fence will speak of how getting Pie at-bats is something necessary for the Cubs future. Unfortunately, people don't realize the Cubs are trying to win a division championship. The best way to do so is to keep Felix Pie in Chicago and use his speed and defensive skills. In years like this, you have to throw away any sort of developmental plans in order to win the championship.

Which, now begs the beg question, "Where is our late-inning speed going to come from?"

2. He's much worse defensively than wher he was four years ago
I've gotten the pleasure of watching Jim Edmonds misjudge a boat load of fly balls over the past four years. Age has finally caught on to old man river, who hasn't lost one step in the field, but about 2-3. Once again, the Cubs don't just get slower, they get worse defensively.

3. If he plays everyday, he will be the Cubs worst hitter.
Not debatable.
Jim Edmonds can't hit.

Since 2005, Edmonds has gotten more strike outs than hits. He has hit .252 since the start of 2005, has very little power left, and continues swinging at pitches eye-high. He has 339 k's in his last 1,274 bats. He's bad. Real bad.

So, the question that should be hovering around Cubdom should be, "Why are the Cubs forgoing speed and defensive ability for a man that has the potential to destroy a clubhouse, can't run, can't hit and can't field?"

That my friends, is a very viable question.

I can be, Center Field.