An Apology to Neville Chamberlain

Townhall.com ^ | April 4, 2015 | Paul Greenberg

[GOPsterinMA]

I agree and you too!

[Impy]

Cubs lose last night, 0-13 RISP.

[GOPsterinMA]

Yep! Jon Lester!!!

[Impy]

According to the Elias Sports Bureau, only one other team in the last 40 years went 0-13 or worse with runners in scoring position on opening day.

[GOPsterinMA]

Lefties were 6/11 against Lester last night.

His fielding flaws are going to be glaring in the NL.

[GOPsterinMA]

My 2015 MLB predictions:

AL:
BAL
CLE
SEA
Wildcards:
CWS
LAA

NL:
WAS
STL
LAD
Wildcards:
NYM
CHC

[Impy]

Mine

BAL
DET
SEA
WCS: BOS CWS

WAS
STL
LAD
WCS: PIT CHC

[NFHale]

Here’s mine:

Phillies, all the way. 2015 World Series Champs...

(Yeah, I know...never mind .. I’m fine now... the drugs wore off...)

[GOPsterinMA]

Well ok then!

[GOPsterinMA]

Uh...hmmm...

[AuH2ORepublican]

See, the 2015 Cubs are breaking records already.

It’s good to get those dogs out of the way early; still 161 games to go.

[GOPsterinMA]

:)

[NFHale]

One MUST remain... optimistic...

[GOPsterinMA]

True, true...

[Impy]

Chi teams are a combined 1-6, Sox 0-4, Cubs 1-2.

[GOPsterinMA]

Darn! I have both teams making the playoffs. It’s still early.

[AuH2ORepublican]

Cubs are doing much better now, but Lester has been terrible.

And Joe Maddon may be too cute by half in batting the pitcher 8th instead of 9th just about every game. It really bit the Cubs in the posterior yesterday, when he batted Lester (a pitcher one would expect to go deep into the game, and who never has gotten a hit in the Majors) 8th, right behind personal catcher David Ross, and ahead of 2B Jonathan Herrera.

The Cubs scored twice in the first and had runners on the corners and two out with Ross up, but Andrew Cashner pitched around Ross and walked him, and then easily retired Lester. And in the third, Ross again came up with runners in the corners (later second and third, since Castro stole second) and two out, and while Cashner went after Ross, he didn’t give him too much of the plate and walked him again, and then struck Lester out on three pitches.

It would have been a completely different ballgame had Lester been hitting ninth instead of eighth. I hope that Maddon reconsiders his new gimmick, which makes more sense when your starting pitcher is a Jason Marquis (who can swing the bat, and is unlikely to go more than 5 or 6 innings) than a John Lester.

[Impy]

Lester has been terrible.

Indeed, he was good, signed a longterm deal with a new club, and now he stinks. Who does he think he is, Barry Zito?

And who does Maddon think he is, LaRussa? Why not bat the pitcher 7th, then there might be TWO guys on base for the top of the order. Or you could stop thinking you're such a @#$%ing genius and just bat him 9th.

Wrigley sure looks weird with the bleachers not ready yet.

[GOPsterinMA]

The Boston Glob had a baseball article and it mentioned that it was known in the AL that Lester pretty much sucked as a fielder. I’m guess the NL isn’t ignoring that.

It could end up being a Zito-esque failure of a signing. Good call Impy.

Maddon makes it easy not to like him or his “style”. How ‘bout Joe really show everyone he’s “the man” and bat the pitcher lead off? I dare him.

[Impy]

Seen that commercial “First Woman in the Majors, where will you be?”?

I’ll be on Mars, dude.