On Tuesday the Cubs announced that they will honor Hall of Famer, “Mr. Cub” Ernie Banks with a statue in front of Wrigley Field.  The statue will be erected (snicker, snicker) in time for the opener next April.

But why stop there?  I’ve put together a lovely ink and pencil rendering of another great moment in Cubs’ “statue” history–when Matt Murton dropped the flyball against the Padres.  Hang that on the old dump at Clark and Addison.

I don’t quite get the timing of the announcement of the Ernie statue.  The team is for sale, so they’re going to promise to bolt some several thousand piece hunk of bronze to the sidewalk in front of a building they’re going to sell?  What if the new owner thinks Ernie is an asshole?

I’m all for the statue.  From what I hear, before Ernie became a babbling caricature, wearing a hat with his nickname on it and treating fans with great respect (assuming you are in your 20s, blonde, have big boobs and don’t mistake him for Ronnie Woo Woo) he was a great baseball player.  They don’t call him Mr. Cub for nothing.

Besides, if you give him a limited edition collectible scale model of the statue, I’m sure his ex-wife can sell it on eBay for big bucks.

The Cubs were so fired up by news that a guy who last played for the team 35 years ago was going to get his erection next April that they went out and gave up five runs to the Padres.  Giving up five runs to the Padres is like giving up a dozen to anybody else.

The game was excellent, especially if you liked Rich Hill’s Matt Clement impersonation.  You know, the one where you give up a couple early runs and then spend the rest of the game with a “please take me out” look of panic on your face.  Since earthy, grainy Rich is so big into self-help books, maybe Larry and Lou can get him a copy of “Stop Acting Like Such a Pussy and Throw Strikes.”  If it hasn’t been published yet, I’d be happy to write it.

Given that his mound opponent was Jake Peavy, Rich was lost once he gave up the huge 1-0 lead the Cubs had staked him to in the first.  Peavy walked Alfonso Soriano to start the game and our speedy leadoff man then spent the next ten minutes standing next to first base with his hands on his hips.  Alfonso does know that the stolen base has not been outlawed, right?  Maybe somebody should read that part of the rulebook to him.

Al did manage to score once the Cubs strung together a couple of two out hits by E-ramis and Cornelius.  Cornelius had a couple of excellent at bats against Peavy, lining a single up the middle and doubling to left field.  Bob Brenly was so impressed by the at bats that he talked about them at length, pointing out that it’s tough to pull Peavy because he works the outside corner so much.  It was not lost on most of the viewers that all three times Bob talked about this, Jock Jones was swinging from his ass and happily pounding the ball straight into the ground.

Traditionally, the Cubs head out to San Diego and Los Angeles in early May.  Last year, they went to LA early (just in time for Derrek Lee to fall down and go boom) and instead doubled up with the Diamondbacks and Padres.  That trip ended with the Cubs losing all six games.  Nice to see they’re on that pace again this year.