So What Do You Really Think?

Drum roll please…With the 16th overall pick in the first round the Chicago Cubs select…Hayden Simpson, RHP from DII Southern Arkansas. And the crowd goes wild! Sorry I meant to say, the angry mob goes berserk! Reading around the Cubs blogosphere it’s very clear many fans would like to give this pick the same treatment an opponents HR ball gets at Wrigley. Of course many of those fans also felt the same about Carlos Silva when he showed up in Mesa last spring in less than ideal playing shape.

I’m not going to argue the merits of Simpson’s potential or the main reason a lot of Cubs fans were unhappy with the pick (that the Cubs could have picked Simpson in the second or third round, maybe later) but rather comment on how cool it is for us fans to have these outlets and forums for our opinions via the Internet, twitter and new media. Fans have been paying the load for pro sports since they began, buying tickets, concessions, and merchandise. In the past we had few ways to communicate our feelings or displeasure with a team or sport, mainly by not attending events or not buying products. The fact that I/we can express opinions about our team to the world no matter how wrong or foolish they are is pretty sweet. And when we are right about a player or opinion, we have a digital record of our greatness.

Who among us would have predicted the type of season Carlos Silva is having? Sure he’s one of the few Cubs pitchers who has benefited from some run support but 8-0, are you kidding me. As spring training 2010 finished I felt Big Z was ready to have a good year, maybe even a breakout type year and wrote about that here. Well, that obviously hasn’t happened and quite frankly Z doesn’t look like he has the fire or the same zip on his fastball. I’m not saying he won’t find the fire or desire at some point this season but I won’t hold my breath for it.

Big Z’s season thus far is kind of a microcosm of the Cubs year, with moments when you think, maybe, just maybe, they might pull it together and do something. Many experts picked the Cubs to finish third in the division so I guess they’re about where they should be, of course the current record is with A-Ram and D-Lee having miserable seasons at the plate. At 6.5 games out of first in the division I’ve got to think that if Lee and Ramirez were having typical hitting years that the team would have 3-5 more wins and be right in the hunt. I’m not giving up on this season yet but at some point the Cubs need a spark or some aggression and have to make a run before it becomes too late.

Now let’s head up to Wrigley North and start that run!