If you use Twitter, I assume you are on for on two reasons.  To  glean information and perhaps to give your own analysis/info on what you know. 

If you are a Chicago Cubs or Chicago White Sox fan and on you are Twitter, there are some must-follow feeds to get the most out of the social networking tool.  This is a general guide that will help you get started. 

Let’s start with the basics. 

The Teams

Here are the official twitter accounts for the two major league teams.  Follow these if you want the latest news from the Cubs and Sox.  Keep in mind that anything from here will most likely be links you will see on mlb.com or press releases.  Certainly nothing too juicy.

Chicago Cubs @cubs

White Sox @whitesox

Search Hashtags

Since you all can can read the articles on mlb.com on your own, perhaps of more interest to Chicago baseball fans is search hashtags.  This will allow you to follow all tweets from baseball fans having to do with say, the Cubs. Without going into a whole tutorial on Twitter (you can find a good one on hashtags here), suffice to say that any tweet with the “#” sign before the search term before it will be included in the search query and folks will see it when they follow that query.

So the ones that we’re interested in are:

Chicago Cubs #cubs

Chicago White Sox #whitesox

Keep in mind that Twitter programs (like Tweetdeck, Tweetie or Twitterific) take advantage of hashtags much better than the web version of Twitter.

MLB on Twitter

Let me throw out the general Major League Baseball Twitter links out there while I’m on the topic. 

MLB on Twitter @mlb. 

To follow the Major League Baseball hashtag, it’s #mlb

Other Chicago Baseball people to follow

Cubs fans will want to follow MLB Cubs beat writer Carrie Muskat (@carriemuskat).  Similarly, Scott Merkin (@scottmerkin) who covers the Sox for mlb.com is must for White Sox fans.

For the Cubs fans, here a few more. 

Iowa Cubs @Iowa Cubs

Official Cubs Vine Line @vinelinetwitter (not too active yet)

Len Kasper and Bob Brenly’s Official Twitter @lenandbob

For the White Sox:

Charlotte Knights @KnightsBaseball

Sun Times Sox blog @CST_sox

I was thinking of throwing up some baseball blog twitter links for both teams but so there are so many I wouldn’t be doing justice to some good ones out there.  Just know that most all of them out there have a twitter presence and it’s easy to follow them.  Not only is it an easy way to get notified when they update their website but more importantly, you get some good insights from the bloggers in 140 characters or less. 

Also, there aren’t too many active Chicago players on Twitter right now (no, the Carlos Zambrano you see is a fake).  Former White Sox OF/1B Nick Swisher (@NickSwisher) has an account is quite active (and interesting).  Fantasy Baseball Dugout blog has a list of current MLB players on Twitter.  Keep in mind not all players with accounts are active or even post themselves. 

I’ll throw one more in here for kicks just because it’s been in the news lately.  Ozzie Guillen is on the Twitter thing now.  And so far, he been having fun with it.  So has the Twitter community because his Tweets have been quite nonsensical at times.  I’ve said it before… I’m not a Sox fan but I kind of like Ozzie Guillen because I think he makes MLB a little uncomfortable.  This Twitter venture on his part is just one more example. You can find Ozzie on Twitter @ozzieguillen.

I hope this help those of you baseball fans who are just starting to use Twitter.  If you have other relevant Chicago baseball people to follow on Twitter, please let me know. 

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Posted in: Technology and Baseball by The Baseball Zealot
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The Cubs won today.  And you know winning the first game of spring training means everything in the world, right? 

But the Cubs did get the right hits from the right people.  Fuld, (homerun), newly acquired Marlon Byrd (2 for 2, homerun), Tyler Colvin (2 doubles, homerun), Derrek Lee (homerun, yawn), and Starlin Castro, who seems to be everyone’s freakin’ darlin’, (triple). 

I kid, I love the guy.  Castro came in relief for Ryan Theriot and his triple seemed to say, “Find a another position, Cajun dude!”  Which just might happen.  The baseball pundit hordes are calling for Theriot to move to second base and it’s probably on Cubs management’s mind, too.

But first and foremost on Cubs manager Lou Piniella’s mind, is how to spell Kosuke Fukudome’s nickname.  From Cubs beat writer Carrie Muskat, Lou says it’s “Fuke”.  I guess that “e” keep us Cub fans morally clean.  Perhaps they should issue a press release. 

The press (mlb.com and the Cubs in particular) have been making a big deal about Alfonso Soriano and how gosh darn healthy he is. 

I don’t know about you but that kind of talk scares the beejeezus out of me.  One, you don’t talk about it unless there is something to be worry about and two, why are they tempting fate?  Almost like talking during a pitcher’s no-hitter.  “Well, Ron, Soriano’s gone through the season so far a not a hint of a hamstring pull.”  “We’ve been pretty lucky.  He’s sure to go through the whole season without a visit to the DL.” 

Then BAM!

Let’s just keep it quiet and count our blessings.  And win another… even if it is just spring training.

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With the news that Cubs shortstop Ryan Theriot will sign with the team for $2.6 million that might mean something.  Assuming he doesn’t get hurt or he doesn’t get moved to second base, this will be the first time the Cubs will have the same player starting at the shortstop position for three years in a row since 1997 when the Cubs started Shawon Dunston there. 

‘Thunderpup’ was a mainstay at short for over ten years for the Cubs.  Since he left for the Pirates in 1997, there hasn’t been a solid starter for the Cubs for more than two years straight.  If Theriot continues playing short in 2010, his third straight year.  Maybe the Cubs can break that streak.

Here are the string of shortstops the Chicago Cubs have used since Shawon Dunston and up until Ryan Theriot. 

Let’s start with the most current and move backwards. 

2006: Ronny Cedeno
	I know a few Cub fans who were really hot on this guy when he came up.  Ronny started out hot in 2005 by hitting .300 in 89 at-bats.  Reality set in during 2006 when he started playing full time.  He batted .245 with 109 strikeouts. The Cubs unloaded Cedeno after 2008 and he proceeded to hit .209 with Seattle and Pittsburgh.

2005: Neifi Perez
	Neifi played a full year in 2005 (609 ab) and got some big numbers but he really represented the Dusty Baker era of the Cubs by not being able to take walk (.298 OBP)

2004: Ramon Martinez
	Who?  Martinez is now probably best known for being Geovany Soto’s cousin.  Admittedly, Ramon didn’t put in a whole lot of time at short (he played 73 games there), splitting time with Nomar Garciaparra and Neifi Perez. Hey look! There’s Theriot in the photo.

2002-2003: Alex Gonzalez
	This particular Alex Gonzalez, actually managed to start at shortstop for two full years for the Cubs.  His numbers were a bit sub-par (.312 and .295 OBP respectively).  After his error in the fateful playoff game against the Marlins, his days were numbered though.

2000-2001: Ricky Gutierrez
	A 1998 first round pick, Gutierrez gave the Cubs two full years at short and didn’t do half bad (.276 and .290 with 11 and 10 homers).  He probably had his best years with the Cubs.

1999: Jose Hernandez
	I like this photo of Jose.  He looks like he’s hitting one out.  Or most likely, doing what he does best, striking out (he later led the league twice in Ks),

1998: Jeff Blauser
	One of the players that you forget played for the Cubs.  He ended his career for Chicago in 1998-1999.  We somehow put up with his .219 batting average in 119 games in 1998.

Honorable mention goes to Rey Sanchez who gave Dunston a break at short in 1996.  Others worth mentioning during the period of 1997-2006 are Jose Nieves and Nomar Garciaparra,

Is positional consistency a thing of the past in an MLB team now? I guess we’ll see when/if the Cubs decide to move Theriot to second base.  It does make for an interesting trivia question, though.

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Posted in: Cubs by The Baseball Zealot
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On the heels of the news that Ozzie Guillen is giving Twitter a try, Cubs skipper Lou Piniella is weighing in on his take on the micro-blogging tool. 

Seems like Lou probably won’t be using it anytime soon.  When it comes down to it, Lou’s a pretty old-school, meat and potatoes kind of guy.

”No, no, no, no, no,” he said. ”First of all, I don’t know how to Twitter, and second of all I’m not going to learn how to Twitter.

”I’m really not a Facebook or Twitter guy. I’m a prime rib and baked potato.”

Errr. Lou must have been pretty hungry at the time.

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Posted in: Cubs by The Baseball Zealot
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Ryan Theriot and the Cubs will be heading to arbitration it seems.  Which is probably doesn’t bode well for The Riot, as much as I like him, doesn’t look so great on paper.  My bet is that arbitration will go down in favor of the Cubs and the $2.6 million figure.

Which in a way, is a shame.  The Cubs have gotten a steal the past two years with Theriot and his sub-mil salary.  He’s been a solid, full-time infielder.  His average took a dip last year mostly because (rumors say) he was taking swings for the fences).  True enough, the homers increased (from 1 to 7) but so did the strikeouts (58 to 93) and the OBP dipped (.387 to .343).  Management has reportedly talked to Theriot at the end of last season about reverting to making more contact. 

When I read that Skip Schumaker signed recently with the Cardinals for a two-year deal worth $4.7 million I was reminded immediately of Theriot’s situation.  Ok, they’re not of exactly the same value but they are close.  Young middle infielders who hit for decent average.

I’m not about to take sides in this battle but at the same time, I will say this:  the Cubs have gotten more than fair value from Theriot the last few years.  Maybe it’s time for payback. 

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Posted in: Cubs by The Baseball Zealot
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There are rumors out there that the Cubs are interested in free agent outfielder Jonny Gomes.  They could do worse. 

Gomes has plenty of potential but the knock on Heart Attack Jonny (he suffered a heart attack in 2002) is the injury issue.  He hasn’t put in a full season in the seven years in the majors.  To be fair, let’s call it five since he was up for just a cup of coffee for the first two. 

I feel Gomes has a lot of power potential.  Take the last five years.  Accumulated, he’s averaged 28 homers per 500 at-bats.  Yes, his batting average is a tad low.  By a tad low, I mean averages like .216, .244, .182 and a whopping .267 last year.  To his credit, Gomes ability to get on base with the walk raises his OBP to a more respectable career level of .330.

Last year to go along with his Hornsby-like .267, Gomes hit 20 longballs in 281 at-bats proving that he’s making improvements.  The question is could he do this over an extended and more importantly, do the Cubs have a need for him. 

At this point, yes, I feel the Chicago Cubs could most certainly find a use for Heart Attack Jonny.  I wouldn’t expect him to play a full season if he was acquired but he would play a vital role.  As a righty, he could platoon in right field and spell Soriano when (yes, when not if)he goes down. 

Gomes is 29 and if he could fashion a respectable year in 2010, he could right his career.  He’s been one of those players that had very interesting numbers and I’ve always liked to see what would happen if he was given a chance.

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Posted in: Cubs by The Baseball Zealot
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The Cubs Convention (which sadly I didn’t go to this year) was this past weekend.  Breaking Sports News compiles this list of Ten things learned at the 25th Cubs Convention.

Most important on the list… Piniella has management backing

(Team president Crane) Kenney said the Cubs are satisfied with the job he has done. Kenney also pointed out they have the second-best record among National League teams (behind Philadelphia) in the three years since Piniella was hired.

"We think we have the best manager in baseball," he said, adding: "We like it when he gets a little hot."

Refreshing, I guess. Lou has what it takes to get the Cubs to the playoffs.  He’s already shown that.  My concern and maybe I’m putting the horse before the cart, is how to translate the success during the regular season to success in the postseason. 

But in the end, I support Lou and am encouraged by the management’s backing of him rather than finding a quick fix or worse, pulling a PR move to look as if they are “doing something” to solve the problem.

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Posted in: Cubs by The Baseball Zealot
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If you haven’t already, take the time to read the transcript of the BBWAA conference call interview with Andre Dawson after the announcement of his selection to the Hall of Fame.  It’s a good read. 

During the interview, he spoke at length about his family especially his mother and his grandmother, Eunice Taylor, who he considered a “mentor”. 

Dawson seemed to have a high opinion of playing in Chicago and of the Chicago fans:

I just went out and said I was going to have fun. The fans embraced me from day one of spring training. And I think even though I pressed a little bit at the outset, I hit a grand slam home run that kind of got me going.

And from there, you know, things just started to happen on a daily basis. But for the most part of the six years that I was there, I really enjoyed the reception, the fact that I had an opportunity to play amongst fans who really didn’t put any pressure on you, you know.

Plus he had great comment about one of my favorite baseball people:

Don Zimmer always would make the comment, get here early and don’t really go out and do something that would embarrass the fans.

Something else about the interview struck me too. Something that some people might appreciate more than others:

Andre Dawson: Okay, thank you.

…

Andre Dawson: You’re welcome.

…

Andre Dawson: Thank you.

…

Andre Dawson: Thank you, sir.

…

Andre Dawson: Thank you.

…

Andre Dawson: Thank you.

…

Andre Dawson: Thank you, (Ian).

…

Andre Dawson: Hi Toni. Thank you.

etc, etc..

you get the idea.  Grandmother raised him right.

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Posted in: Hall of Fame by The Baseball Zealot
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The Southern (IL) reports on a trade in the Frontier League whose name seems to hearken back to older Cub days (emphasis mine):

When Southern Illinois Miners’ manager Mike Pinto traded for the Gateway Grizzlies’ Stephen Holdren last July, he called it one of the biggest trades in Frontier League history.

Pinto said the deal he finalized Monday, sending Holdren to the River City Rascals in exchange for power-hitting first baseman Ernie Banks, is even bigger.

Apparently, Banks, a former Marlins draft pick, is more than just a namesake to the former Cub.  This minor league firstbaseman really can hit, too.  Last year he hit .353 for the River City Rascals, good for 3rd in the Frontier League.  He also placed 5th with 24 homeruns (in just 77 games no less). 

Banks will be looking at a new team this coming year in the independent league based in the Midwest.  The Southern Illinois Miners are based in Carbondale, Illinois

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Posted in: Minor Leagues by The Baseball Zealot
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I’ll admit it.  Ron Santo isn’t my favorite broadcaster to listen to.  But like Harry Caray in his later years, I can forgive that.  For all I can tell, Ron Santo is probably as genuine as you’re going to get in a business full of cynicism and insincerity. 

Which is why I’m happy he signed a three-year extension with WGN Radio to do the color commentary with Pat Hughes (thanks, Pat).

Like Harry, no one seems to love the game or the Cubs more (and dare I say it, the enthusiasm doesn’t appear to be an act like so many in the broadcasting biz):

"I love what I do, and it keeps me alive, as far as I’m concerned," Santo said from his Arizona home. "When I go in [to negotiate], I could say I’m looking for a two-year [deal] and they’ll say, ‘Why don’t you take a three-year contract?’"

I’m normally not so sentimental in such matters but in Santo’s case, I’ll make an exception.  He deserves more (*cough* Hall of Fame *cough*) but I’m happy for the news.

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