Punching Tickets...and a New Park Record - Cubs 6
Giants 8

post from ChicagoCubsOnline.com on 18 March 2009 11:13:37 PM. © ChicagoCubsOnline.com

Game Twenty-Three - Cubs 6 Giants 8
WP - Brian Wilson (1-0) LP - Jose Ascanio (0-1, BS 1) Save - Felix Romero (1)

The Cubs hit Giants' starter Tim Lincecum hard on Wednesday afternoon and knocked the 2008 NL Cy Young Award winner out of the game with two outs in the fourth inning. Alfonso Soriano led off the game with his third home run of the spring off of Lincecum's first pitch. The Cubs scored three runs in the first and added another in the fourth before Lincecum departed. All toll, the Cubs scored four runs on seven hits with four walks in 3 2/3 innings. Lincecum struck out six, but two were Ryan Dempster on fouled bunt attempts.

Ryan Dempster tossed five shutout innings in his longest outing of the spring. Dempster gave up only four hits with a walk and left with a 5-0 lead.

Chad Gaudin struggled again. He gave up a pair of runs on two hits with a walk in an inning of work. Luis Vizcaino stuck out three in the seventh but gave up a home run to Jesus Guzman, his fourth of the spring.

Lou Piniella's crew took a 5-3 lead into the ninth and while Spring Training wins and losses do not matter, the performance turned in by Jose Ascanio on Wednesday is concerning. After improving his stock the last couple of weeks, Ascanio struggled in his last outing and probably punched his ticket to Iowa after his implosion against the Giants.

Jose Ascanio gave up five runs on four hits in the ninth...and the big knock belonged to Nick Noonan, a grand slam to right center.

The good news from Wednesday was that the Cubs regulars outplayed the Giants regulars, but the bad news was the clearly the outing turned in by Jose Ascanio.

After setting a new attendance record at HoHoKam Park on February 28 against the White Sox, the Cubs and Giants topped the mark by 14 with 13,024 going through the turnstiles on Wednesday afternoon.

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3.php

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The AL West and Park Factors

post from Beyond the Box Score on 18 March 2009 10:37:00 PM. © Beyond the Box Score

The AL West and Park FactorsIs there a fallacy here?[...]

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http://www.beyondtheboxscore.com/2009/3/18/803214/the-al-west-and-park-facto

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World Baseball Classic Ramifications

post from 2 think good on 18 March 2009 09:52:00 PM. © 2 think good

Japan knocked Cuba out of the World Baseball Classic yesterday in San Diego and its effects were felt as far away as the Cuban city of Santiago de Cuba. A major public works project, the first in the city since 1967--largely due to Soviet largess then--was dependent on the Cuban Baseball team staying in the Classic through the final round for funding. Now it will have to be explained to the citizens of Santiago, that imperialist plots in the planning for more than twenty years--involving the CIA and unnaturally athletic Japanese families, including, but limited to, the notorious Matsuzaka, Ichiro and Iwakuma tribes--have unfortunately borne fruit. Another special period of sacrifice will be needed to overcome this setback. Ironically, a park with a baseball diamond was part of the plans.

Tangled non-Spalding Web

A Cuban baseball official dreams of defecting. But not for the typical reasons his former players always cite--God, family, freedom and hunger--no his reasons are largely professional. He sees his counterparts and turns a bright red [green having been outlawed awhile back--and another thing, why can't the revolution's color have been a nice teal] with envy. See all those other baseball guys get to evaluate talent alone. In his case, he has to factor in the relative defection potential [it's always there to a degree, the kid would have to be an idiot not to consider it]. You know how hard it is for a guy in his 50's to figure out what young men are thinking? Figure out how desperate and unhappy his family is? Impossible, even for a 'New Man.'

So for a number of years, he just kept everyone who appeared to want to be on the team, off the team. But players caught on to that. So then he only kept players on the team who appeared to want to be on the team, thinking he was being conned. But that proved to be a disaster when the players actually did defect. Just you try and defend that rationale. God he would never forget the recent Viciedo interrogation, they made him feel like a real chump. The moron State official even lecturing him on baseball strategy.

He struggled to fall asleep last night. The first stanza of that stupid Yeats poem kept running through his head:

I know that I shall meet my fate

Somewhere among the clouds above;

Those that I fight I do not hate,

Those that I guard I do not love;

William Butler Yeats poem, 'An Irish Airman Foresees His Death,' is copied in full at end of post.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------
An Irish Airman Foresees His Death by William Butler Yeats

I know that I shall meet my fate

Somewhere among the clouds above;

Those that I fight I do not hate,

Those that I guard I do not love;

My country is Kiltartan Cross,

My countrymen Kiltartan's poor,

No likely end could bring them loss

Or leave them happier than before.

Nor law, nor duty bade me fight,

Nor public men, nor cheering crowds,

A lonely impulse of delight

Drove to this tumult in the clouds;

I balanced all, brought all to mind,

The years to come seemed waste of breath,

A waste of breath the years behind

In balance with this life, this death.
---------------------------------------------------------------------

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http://www.2thinkgood.com/2009/03/world-baseball-classic-ramifications.html

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Yanks adviser releases children's book

post from MLB Home Run.com on 18 March 2009 09:36:00 PM. © MLB Home Run.com

Yanks adviser releases children's book

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http://www.mlbhomerun.com/2009/03/yanks-adviser-releases-children-book.html

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Morrow likely needs more time

post from MLB Home Run.com on 18 March 2009 09:36:00 PM. © MLB Home Run.com

Morrow likely needs more time

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Few roadblocks in Venezuela's way

post from MLB Home Run.com on 18 March 2009 09:36:00 PM. © MLB Home Run.com

Few roadblocks in Venezuela's way

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Cuba's Classic run falls short of semis

post from MLB Home Run.com on 18 March 2009 09:36:00 PM. © MLB Home Run.com

Cuba ousted from Classic

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Venezuela leaves Miami as top dog

Venezuela leaves Miami as top dog

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Japan keeps title defense alive

Japan heads to Classic semis

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Baseball Musings: Reds Team Offense

The unpleasant results are at the link. Here is some of David's commentary:

Dusty Baker manages to assemble lineup in close to the worst possible way. He puts two hitters who don?t do a good job of getting on base in front of his big bat, Joey Votto. I suspect that when the year is over Votto?s RBI total will be strikingly low for his averages.

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http://www.redreporter.com/2009/3/18/803108/baseball-musings-reds-team

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