This isn’t Paul Bako’s fault. Really. But he sure isn’t helping things.
How can a guy be a productive player when he’s batting .175 with two RBI. The team is 4-6 when he catches, 21-13 when Michael Barrett does it.
He’s completely useless at the plate, and not much more useful behind it. Twice last night he gave his team no chance on a play at the plate when he ran out in front of the plate to avoid getting touched by the runner. On the second play in particular, he probably cost the Cubs an out…and a run.
And then, today, I find out that his real name is Gabor Paul Bako II? Gabor? That’s grounds for release right there.
I understand that baseball is not really full of quality back-up catchers. But anything…even a mannequin with a glove taped to it would be better than Bako.
It’s easy to say that the Cubs played uninspired baseball last night, because it’s hard to look excited when the other team’s pitcher is handing you your lunch. That’s what Roy Oswalt did to the Cubs. They had no chance. The only chance at a chance (huh?) they had was two on, two out and Derrek Lee at the plate. You and I both know that that situation is hopeless.
There just is no more disappointing player in baseball right now than Derrek Lee. Oh, I’m sure Derek Jeter is coming close, but come on. Lee has perfected the Mark Grace “I’ll hit for a decent average, make some nice plays at first and maybe nobody will notice my complete lack of production” thing. Grace had it figured out pretty early on, apparently it took Lee a few seasons to get it down.
You look at .273, four homers and 21 RBI and think, “Hey, that’s not bad.” It’s not bad. It’s just horribly, horribly mediocre.
Corey Patterson batted third last night. Apparently, that was Corey’s reward for his much improved play since he got dropped to the seven spot in the batting order.
Just one problem. There hasn’t been any much improved play. He’s hitting better there (.308 ba, .367 obp, .905 ops) than he was hitting second (.258, .313, .724), but it’s only been 26 at bats at number seven.
Just why Michael Barrett didn’t catch last night is beyond me. Maybe it’s because he’s in a horrible 0-7 slump. Wait, that’s only seven at bats, that’s not horrible. I’m sure Dusty’s reason was that Bako hadn’t caught for nearly a week, but with off days on Monday and Thursday, just why the hell did Barrett need a night off? It’s not like you need to keep Bako sharp, the more he plays the duller he gets, and that’s saying something.
As for batting Ramon Martinez in the second spot? He’s now 3-20 (.150) in that spot. He’s hitting .310 (13-42) batting eighth. That’s a tough decision about which spot to hit him in.
Regardless, Oswalt wasn’t going to give up four runs last night no matter who the Cubs had healthy and ready to play. The Astros got five on their own, so it was a lost cause.
There was good news, however. Mark Prior, who never got to pitch in Class A during his first stint as a Cubs farmhand is enjoying his time in Lansing. With last night’s effort he has struck out 13 men (boys?) in 7.2 innings and walked one and gave up two hits. I’d say he has nothing left to prove on that level. He’s still on track to make his debut next weekend against the Pirates. Do we think that Lloyd McClendon will say that Prior’s not that good again, this time?
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Jim Hendry says he’s not a doctor, he just likes to play one in hotel rooms on lonely road trips…wait…no, he didn’t say that. At least not out loud.
You know you’re screwed when Rey Ordonez starts to look like help.
For a guy who got a business degree the easy way, Mark Prior’s a tough grader.
The I-Cubs have sold out for The Franchise’s next scheduled start. It’s a good thing the Rangers called up Gary Matthews, Jr. the other day. You don’t want The Franchise pitching to studs like him.
The most exciting night for Bulls fans! Draft lottery night! Whoo hoo! Party at my house!
Rick Morrissey can read! He’s halfway there!
Looks like Phil Rogers had a big ‘O’ last night watching Roy Oswalt.
Mike Kiley says Ramon Martinez has “played well“. Sure. Whatever.
Brad Biggs drew the short straw again. Never pick when Al Swearengen is handing them out.
You’re kidding? Gary Barnett is coming back? Yikes.
I’m glad Sports Guy is back full-time, but his Magazine columns are still pretty lame.
Is Stewey the last one to figure out Mike Williams has to go back to USC or bust?
He was nowhere near the Busch Stadium wall this time?
Angelina Jolie says she didn’t like it when Billy Bob had onscreen sex with Halle Berry. Why? Because he had to take off his vial of your blood?
America’s finest news source says that Dick Cheney’s fed up and he’s running for president.
Yoko broke up the Beatles …
Bako breaks up the Cubs’ rallies
Yoko is ugly as sin…
Bako’s baseball abilities are sin
Yoko can’t sing (her supposed job)…
Bako, well, you get the drift.
On the radio last night they said that Bako started because, although he’s usually Mad Dog’s bitch, Dusty knew they’d be "facing a tough lefty on Wednesday" (Petitte), so he decided to start Bako on Tuesday instead of Wednesday, even though Greggers is on the hill.
Where’s Eddie Perez? Wasn’t he Greg’s bitch too?
So does that mean Bako caddies for Maddux tonight? Or does Barrett get the start?
Mmmmm….Angelina Jolie…(drools)
Interesting topic going on during the Boers and Mulligan show right now about all the crap that goes on in the stands at Sox games on Half-Price Night. Sounds like they should be calling it "Half-Wit Night". One of the problems is the harassment of people wearing Cubs apparel to Comiskey. I am planning on attending the Braves-Sox game two weeks from Saturday (I was given two box seats) and I’m actually going to rent a car to drive in from Iowa City because my ’05 Nissan has Cubs license plates. It would probably be on blocks or even on fire if I drove it there.
On a better note, I have box seats near the I-Cubs bullpen for The Franchise’s rehab start this Sunday. With all the rain this area has had in the past 10 days, there is a possibility that another heavy rain on Saturday could cause a "flood-out". However, Lansing is in Cedar Rapids this weekend as well, so maybe he could take a little detour off I-80 and head north 20 miles or so.
Sounds like Ryan Dempster had a pretty decent first rehab start in Lansing this morning.
What time was the Lugnuts game? 10 a.m.? What the hell? Do they even want to sell any tickets?
Angelina Jolie…dirty…and OVER-RATED!
Hey Confused,
They started Bako last night so that Barrett would start tonight.
Sloth doesn’t think much of me, either.
I also have to break the bad news to Uma Thurman, Halle Berry, Cameron Diaz and Britney Spears, that they also fall short of his lofty standards.
I’m sure they will be as crushed as I am.
Which begs the question…couldn’t I have just started both nights?
That’s okay, the rest of the world knows we’re hot as hell.
Hey Slothie….Call me….
You could have started both nights Michael. I wanted to load the line up with left handers. So bako was my first choice. I mean you gotta love him he’s my clutch guy.
What kinda moron rents a car and then drives all the way from Iowa City to see the Sox just because someone gave him 60 bucks worth of free tickets?
And what the Hell are Cub license plates? Are you talking about the plastic holder AROUND your plates?
You’ll fit right in at Half-Wit night, or any other night at the Cell.
So after Barrett proves tonight that Maddux does not have to have his personal bitch cathing him, Bako should never have to catch again.
I can dream right?
I bet in his OH-FIVE NISSAN car club, they call him The Cruiser.
Hey "60 bucks", I’d tell you my license plate number, but then you and your fellow jerk-off Sox fans (or just generic jerk-offs) might find it sometime on your way back from some fag bar near Wrigleyville and vandalize it. It’s wheels are probably worth more than your entire car is, even when your ride is running.
Hey Catherine,
A) You’re not that hot.
B) Nobody would know you if not for your pretentious middle name. You would just be Catherine Jones.
I didn’t like it either.
On the Cubs fans in Comiskey topic, my oldest son wanted to see A-Rod, so I took my family to a Rangers game last year at The Dump.
Although my oldest son & I both left our Cubs hats in the trunk, it was a chilly night, so my two year old had to wear a jacket — and the only jacket he had for that type of weather was a Cubs windbreaker.
And you guessed it — All of Mulletville was railing on my two year old.
And he kicked about 17 drunken mullett’s asses.
I hate that eff-ing landfill and all the bastards that inhabit it. All 1,200 of them.
First Edmonds and Renteria, now this…"wrestling" high schoolers…I think we all now know who needs to be hit in the head by a line drive…
Kline wrestles his way back to respectability
By R.B. Fallstrom
Associated Press Sportswriter
05/26/2004
Getting back on the wrestling mat helped Steve Kline put his career back on track.
The Cardinals’ lefthanded reliever, toughened by offseason bouts with high schoolers in his native Pennsylvania, is back on his game with a 2.40 ERA in 25 games. Before allowing a pair of runs on Friday at Chicago, he had been unscored upon in 14 consecutive appearances covering 8 2/3 innings, and only four of 18 inherited runners have scored all season.
Anybody think Dusty might start me tonight? Yeah, probably not. I bet we’re looking at Macias in right and Jackson at second.
Yeah…I’m not attractive at all.
What about me? Am I attractive?![]("http://www.baseballpix.com/players/b/bako5.jpg"/)
By the way. I think that you should revise the "Bako-Meter". "God-awful" does not begin to describe him these days. Invent a new color to go along with the new category, like "puke" brown.
Why is my last name pronounced "DuBose" instead of "DuBwaa" like Robert Guillome’s character, Benson?
Because everyone hates the French. Yeeeeeeeeeee haw! (firing six-shooters)
Because then it sounds french and France is full of smelly women and pussy men.
That’s funny — every time I go to my annual Cubs game as part of the Red Line Doubleheader, their fans come up to me and ask me the secrets to building a consistently competitive club rather than one that makes the playoffs every five years, then sinks back into the urine stink of Wrigley for another four….
Hey Mike D, Ad Rock and MCA say you’re an idiot too.
No need for the license plate, Dave B, you proudly gave the model (an ’05 Nissan!? Wow!) and where you park it most nights (near a "fag bar" in Wrigleyville). Not that there’s anything wrong with that.
How’s the radio in that 05 NISSAN? My son is looking for a good one.
Hey now, if anyone’s kid is gonna be boosting goods from luxury NISSANS, it’s gonna be my kids….
Kenny, can Little Ozzie tag along? I think it would be a lot of fung for him. I want everyone to have fung.
Now my boy Darren could use some street smarts too — heck, little chimp barely knows to avoid flying bats — so if y’all can bring him along on your Halsted Street Nissan break-in spree, I’d be much obliged!
Why am I not featured on the front page as "Lemon Aid: Cub Scrub of the Moment"?
Hey guys Dusty moved me back to the #2 hole. Hole doesn’t that sould like what I’m always in at the plate?
That’s a great idea, since I was so awful all those 2 starts I got in the 2 hole.
first of all both jim hendry and dusty baker should have their heads examined for their vested interest in playing bako. why in the hell do you sign such a worthless player? anybody else but that guy. i know bako is all cubs fans’ punching bag especially when we lose, but really, the guy just straight sucks. he proved it again last night. we as cubs fans could probably take up a collection of the $900,000 dumbass Hendry signed him for and tell him to hit the road. i’d rather have him fighting the war in iraq. maybe he could be a marksman shooter over there. i plead for baker to call up somebody from the minor leagues and put us out of our misery.
Secondly, we have to get some hitters in here. patterson and lee were supposed to produce and they have been nothing but rally killers. i know we paid them to produce and they did last year. but folks, this is the present and our playoffs chances will slip if we leave it to personel like that. please management do something before we fall more by the way side.
finally, props to our pitching staff. these guys are giving their all. they ought to slap the hitters like little bitches for their non production.
Death to people who don’t punctuate or capitalize. You got something to say? Write it so us humans who went to English class can read it.
I second Sloth’s post.
Bullpen, I agree Bako sucks, but name a catcher in the system the Cubs can suit up. Maybe they can lure Joe Girardi out of retirement?
What do you propose they do with Lee and Patterson? Tell them no TV or ice cream until they start hitting, or at least start moving runners over? Lee may be a rally-killer, but he IS helping the team defensively. Patterson has regressed, but the best thing the Cubs can do is help themselves with a trade. That likely won’t happen until mid-June at the earliest, most likely in July.
Oh, you like our pitching staff? That’s nice. It was our strength going into the season. We knew we had a surplus. Unfortunately, injuries have forced us to use most of that surplus. Relax, and wait for Prior, Mercker, Dempster and Wood to come back and watch "dumbass" Hendry make some moves.
Yeah, Hendry is the dumbest man alive. He really botched the ’03 campaign.
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