April 16, 2008
Soriano Sidelined
You know that weird little hop that Alfonso Soriano does every time he catches a ball? Well, the Cubs All Star outfielder injured his calf doing just that in the first inning of Tuesday night's game. Helped off the field by teammates, it looks like Soriano might be headed to the disabled list.
While the teams awaits results from the MRI, when asked how long it'll be before Soriano returns Cubs manager Lou Piniella conceded, "It'll probably be awhile."
Maybe he's just setting low expectations and the Cubs training staff expects a return sooner -- a move to the DL will solidify the "while" timeframe. If Soriano does land on the DL, expect Matt Murton to get called up from Triple A.
Chicagoist's wise uncle noted recently that whenever the Cubs have a good season and look poised to build upon it the next year, injuries knock the wind from the sails and the team falls under .500. Is this latest injury proof that some curses are just too strong to break? Will the Cubs continue to drop like flies (or fly balls) and cause the team to cross the century mark without a title to show for their efforts?
AP Photo/Paul Beaty
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Meanwhile, across town, my boys are tearing the fucking cover off the ball on top of the AL Central.
(Yeah, it's the middle of April, but still...)
I love the Cubs, yet I admit that Soriano is a pretty, pretty princess.
They were without him for, what, a month last year? Though they did kinda sneak in, they did still make it to the post-season. And I'd say they're a better team top to bottom this year, so I'm not too concerned about it.
And princess or not, he did heal from a tear in his quad pretty quick last year.
True enough, Rev. I just pine for an end to the Cubs ever-expanding list of strange injuries.
During the telecast last night it seemed like Kasper was criticizing Soriano for doing the post-catch hop, but it's kinda hard to put the blame on him since he's an infielder playing the outfield. Just because he's done it for a few years doesn't mean those quirks go away.
I hear ya, UTV. I hear ya.
I just pine for an end to the Cubs ever-expanding list of strange injuries.
Wasn't the strangest when Kerry Wood was "injured" getting out of a hot-tub?
Sorry to split hairs with you tc3, but its actually a pre/during-catch hop, not a post catch hop. Read the below tribune article. He jumps to meet the ball quicker.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/cs-080415-chicago-cubs-cincinnati-reds,1,5729536.story
I was at the game last night. Everyone was confused as hell as to how he got hurt. But there wasn't any panic because he hasn't exactly been lighting the world on fire, and with Soto and Fukudome holding their own, the Cubs are a better all-around team this year than last year.
And mark my words -- Reed Johnson will end up taking over full-time duties in center field before long.
I've seen the tape several times and I still don't get how he got hurt.