Cards have the ups on the Cubs despite Pujols’ elbow woes
The following post was written by staff intern Kevin Kaplan. He did not invent the Kaplan Test Prep Course.
Spring training in the MLB is in full swing, and today if you’re a Cardinals fan, you can momentarily rest easy. If you’re a Cubs fan, well, at least you can rest easy with the fact that you can continue to go to Wrigley Field to see the Cubbies battle. Oh, wait, maybe you can’t …
On St. Louis’ side, things are looking pretty good. Albert Pujols tried his best to scare the Cardinals faithful when it came out that surgery might be the answer to an arm injury that he sustained in 2003.
The words of the Cardinal’s physician, Dr. George Paletta, did not make anybody feel any better. Paletta said Pujols experienced a “high grade tear of the ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow, as well as bone spurs, inflammation and arthritis in the joint — all of which have likely developed as a reaction to the ligament tear.”
Well, on Wednesday it was revealed that Pujols would not be going the route of surgery. That was very bad news to anybody who would be playing the Cardinals, and the Florida Marlins were the first to experience that news firsthand.
In their Thursday morning encounter, Pujols topped off a string of three homeruns in a row by Cardinals batters to top the Marlins 5-2. These spring training games are key for the Cardinals, as their roster seems to be up in the air. Pitching will be an interesting spectacle as the season progresses, but overall the Cards look good. While the Cards won the day, the same couldn’t be said for the Cubs. Falling 2-1 to the Athletics in Cactus League play, the highlight for the Cubs was a three-inning four hit shutout by (former Cardinal) Jason Marquis.
A loss for the Cubs is nothing new, however, and after all it is only Spring Training. The headline news for the Cubs lately has been the fact that they may not be playing in Wrigley Field anymore. Before anyone has a heart attack, the second oldest stadium in the country isn’t going anywhere (though there are renovations planned).
The issue begins with the acquisition of the Cubs franchise by billionaire Sam Zell. The Cubs franchise had been owned by the Chicago Tribune for years, but Zell is now selling them off. The problem is that, as of now, he also plans on selling off the naming rights to the field. This would allow Wrigley Field to be called any number of different things.
Since 1926, Cubbie nation has gone without a pennant, all the while being assured the one constant that America’s most dedicated fans could go to WRIGLEY FIELD and watch their “lovable losers” take
the diamond.
Now, they might not even be able to do that.
March 11th, 2008 at 4:39 pm
Wow what a horrible article. Not only is it very one-sided, but its completely wrong. Note to the writer: Unless your name is Jay Mariotti, you shouldn’t show your true colors in writing.
Please explain the “A loss for the Cubs is nothing new” sentence. Who had a 78-84 record last season? And who had an 85-77 record? Interesting.
Enjoy calling the Cubs “lovable losers” because that nickname won’t be around for too much longer. The future with this organization looks bright. Wish I could say the same about the team from St Louis. I will give ya props on “Americas most dedicated fans.” Glad to see your article wasn’t a complete failure.
March 15th, 2008 at 8:37 pm
Fans don’t play the game, so who cares about cardinals being “america’s most dedicated” fan (which isn’t true) /stadiums don’t play the game so who cares about wrigley perhaps not being call wrigley anymore. The fact is, neither of these teams has any talent to win the NL. Granted the Cubs will probably win the division because it is the biggest pile of crap division, but they will not beat the Mets/Phillies/Braves/Dbacks/Dodgers in the playoffs because they are not a good team. The team that got swept in the first round of the playoffs added a 30 year-old Japanese player coming off arm surgery and Jon Lieber. They also made Ryan Dumpster a starter which actually makes the team worse. They are nothing special. The Cardinals are just a bad baseball team. Terribly written article by the way.
March 18th, 2008 at 3:56 pm
You’re an idiot, Cards will be lucky to win 75 games.
April 20th, 2008 at 7:32 pm
To the genius who posted the 2nd comment….Nice job on not providing your name. I wouldn’t want to show my identity if I posted that junk, either.
“Fans don’t play the game.”
Really? I’m shocked. We might not play the game, but we are responsible for the product on the field. Take a look at payroll with teams who have fans that fill the park and teams that have fans that don’t fill the park. You might see a connection.
“Neither of these teams have talent to win the NL”
Again, another solid post from you. Just kidding….absolutely pathetic statement. Yes, it is still April, but take a look at the standings:
Cubs and Cardinals have the 2nd best record in the entire NATIONAL LEAGUE. Thank you.
“…beacause it is the biggest pile of crap divison”
Wow. Where do I begin? First of all, the NL Central has 3 teams that are playing as good as anyone. Cubs/Brewers/Cardinals. All 3 are capable of winning the division. Take a look at the other NL divisions. The NL East is the only other division that has 2 teams with a record greater than .500. The NL Central has THREE teams with great records. I think I prove my point.
“Ryan Dumpster actually makes the team worse”
Coming into Sunday, “Dumpster” had a 2-0 record with an ERA of 2.37 and a WHIP of LESS THAN 1!! WOW HE IS TERRIBLE.
I have no idea who you are or what you do for a living. But the next time you make a post, please provide some facts instead of nonsense. Everyone who read your post is now dumber for having read it. I award you no points, and may God have mercy on your soul.