Saturday was June 27th. At the end of the day, the Chicago Cubs were tied for third place in the National League's Central division with the Cincinnati Reds, trailing the Milwaukee Brewers and St. Louis Cardinals by three-and-a-half games.
Saturday also marked 179 days since Cubs General Manager Jim Hendry traded the most versatile, and arguably the most valuable, player from last season's team to the Cleveland Indians. Mark DeRosa was dealt to the Tribe for a couple of minor league pitchers.
On Saturday, the Cubs started Ryan Freel at third base. Freel is batting .130 this season.
After Saturday's game, Alfonso Soriano was the Cubs' team leader with 14 home runs. Derrek Lee's 39 runs batted in were the highest on the team.
Meanwhile, DeRosa has 13 home runs and 50 runs batted in, playing mostly third base for the Indians.
That was until Saturday. Now DeRosa will be playing third base for the St. Louis Cardinals.
On a day that saw a rookie walk-off against the Cubs in their Red Line rivalry series to drop the team that had the best record in the National League to a game under .500, things just got a whole lot worse for Hendry.
When the Indians came to Wrigley Field for interleague play, DeRosa received a wonderful standing ovation with each of his at bats. He was a fan favorite whose presence has amazingly been more noticeable on the field than in the hearts of thousands of women at each game.
Injuries have taken their toll on the Cubs early this season, and DeRosa's name has been the primary crutch through which Cubs fans have lived their annual "What If" lives. He was the one that got away; a salary cap casualty so the team could add Milton Bradley.
Hendry was able to wax poetic about DeRosa's value to the club in 2007 and 2008 around just a few games in June, knowing that he would see DeRosa and he would receive his attention and applause for three games and everyone could move on.
Now, DeRosa will take his leadership and abilities to a hated rival who happens to be ahead of the Cubs in the standings.
I guess that move kinda backfired, didn't it?
Now the Cubs will try to fight their way out of mediocrity while watching one of their beloved fan favorites doing a fantastic job in keeping them out of the playoffs.
Now the Cubs will scratch to find someone to play defense and/or hit while playing third base as Aramis Ramirez rehabs his shoulder, while DeRosa is doing both well a couple hours south on I-55.
Now Hendry will have the misfortune of hearing that same standing ovation from an increasingly impatient and frustratied fanbase every time DeRosa comes to the plate for the St. Louis Cardinals in the midst of a pennant race.
Now might be the time for Hendry to dust off his resume...
- Login to post comments