Dennis Hobein - Baseball Analysis

The Cubs are off to a slow start at the hands of the worst possible opponent Milwaukee. Will this create a knee-jerk reaction to improve their offer for Brian Roberts? And is it time Carlos Marmol becomes the closer? Read more »

The nonsense about the ?Curse of the Goat? and Steve Bartman must stop. These problems are human made, not goat made. Cubs? fans are beginning to wise-up to this and you won?t see many fans mutter the words ?Wait Until Next Year? around the old ball park. Read more »

While the Cubs continue to plummet in the standings, Dusty Baker?s hot seat has now reached the ?scorching? level. Obviously, Cubs fans are at the end of their rope and are demanding answers and actions from the front office. With this in mind, we have outlined 13 answers of my own for the Cubs demise this season. Read more »

On Tuesday morning, the Cubs announced that Derrek Lee has agreed to a 5 year, $65M contract. In other words, he won?t be clipping coupons any time soon. He is worth every penny of that $13M per year contract. While the Cubs ?aces? are once again rehabbing, and the everyday lineup endured a facelift this off-season, Derrek Lee will be asked to carry the brunt of the power. Ask yourself this, ?Where would the Cubs be without Lee?s production?? Read more »

For the fans of the Chicago Cubs, this Yogi-ism is becoming a running punch-line when the word ?disabled list? is mentioned. Once again, the injury bug has landed in Arizona, and has taken residence in the Cubs clubhouse. Spring training games have just begun, and already Kerry Wood is going under the knife, Mark Prior hasn?t thrown to a live hitter, and Aramis Ramirez has a finger injury. Read more »

In an otherwise forgettable and dismal season for the Cubs, one highlight to the 2005 season won?t be forgotten. Ryne Sandberg?s induction to the Hall of Fame is the silver lining to an incredibly disappointing season on the North Side. Read more »

The weather in Denver can change on a dime. The old saying here goes, ?If you don?t like the weather, just wait ten minutes.? The same can be said about prognosticators? forecasts for the Rockies. Read more »

Perhaps the most talked about trade possibility in Chicago is that of erratic Center Fielder Corey Patterson. Put simply, Cubs fans are tired of his complete lack of discipline at the plate and his reluctance to cut back on his swing. Currently, he is batting .235 with only 24 RBI?s. Read more »

Both the Cubs and Red Sox have had their share of heartaches, both have incredibly passionate fan bases that span the country, both have bitter divisional rivals, both play their home games in historic ballparks, and both have had to deal with so-called ?curses?. Read more »

Is it now safe to say the Cubs got the better of the Hee Seop Choi for Derrek Lee trade? To be fair, the Marlins probably knew they couldn?t afford Lee, so they figured they may as well get something in return. But Hee Seop Choi? When scouts describe your game as ?A Passive Hitter?, it doesn?t mean he has a shy personality. Read more »

New York isn?t the only city with a rivalry named after public transportation. Wrigley Field, on the north side, and US Cellular Field, on the south side, are separated by 8 miles of ?El? track. Just hop on the Red Line and you can visit both in a mere 30 minutes. Although only 8 miles separate these two teams, it may as well be a thousand. Read more »

There is plenty of blame to go around for the fall of the once premier set-up man in the game. The question now for the Cubs and Dusty Baker is, ?How do we restore all that lost confidence?. Because confidence is exactly what has been lost for Latroy Hawkins and it is spreading like wild fire in that Cubs bullpen. Read more »

After a 7 game losing streak, which saw 3 straight losses in the 9th inning, the Cubs are hoping to build some momentum after their 2-1 victory over the Phillies. Manager Dusty Baker has opted to take Ryan Dempster out of the starting rotation and give him temporary closing duties. Read more »