(Really I just wanted to start a thread.)

4-0, 0.99 ERA.

What’s different?  I haven’t actually seen him pitch (stupid non-WGN East Coast cable companies), so I’m asking those who may have watched some of these games.  Is it movement?  Better control within the strike zone?

It doesn’t feel like he’s getting lucky - he’s not putting guys on base and just seeing the other team fail to come through.  He seems genuinely dominant.

So what gives?

(EDIT: Also, I want to encourage all the Cub regulars to make great use of this forum for posting topics and all the things that we can’t do in Gonfalon Cubs.  There have been a lot of complaints, both silently and on the boards, about the lack of blog activity and the fact that none of the regulars were given posting privileges.  Well, here’s our chance.)

I think he’s spotting his pitches much better,and the movement has been filthy.  He’s getting a lot of K’s looking, it seems. 

(Agree, but it’ll take time to get used to or accept this place though)

I know, but I’m fairly certain it’s not going anywhere.  So we can moan about it and pine for the old days, or we can use it to our advantage.

Truth be told, I’d prefer this - a place where any of us can post links to articles, thoughts about the Cubs, trade rumors, etc. - to what Gonfalon Cubs has been.  This could be a good thing if we can get people to accept coming here.

It looks to me like Maddux is throwing even slower this year. He rarely even seems to break the mid-80s and he’s been throwing changes in the 60’s. I think the Maddux’s lack of speed is actually increasing the movement on his pitches.

I also think Maddux has gotten a couple of generous home plate umpires.

I think the differences are:

1. He’s doing a better job of keeping the ball down.  Last year he gave up on average 1 HR per start.  So far he’s given up 1 HR in four starts.

2. He has better movement on his sinker.  Throwing it lower probably helps.

3.  It seems to me he’s throwing more curveballs.

I think the biggest difference is that he’s simply getting lucky.  His rate stats aren’t all that different and the defense behind him isn’t all that different, yet his BABIP is really out of line with his other years.  See this : http://www.fangraphs.com/graphs.aspx?playerid=104&position=P&page=7&type=full

To be sure it has been really fun to watch but I don’t think it can continue.

He was helped in one game by the winds keeping some balls in the yard.  I think that’s really been the difference so far, less HR

Just testing this out, now that Jim’s put it into frames.  (I still don’t like it, though.)

Re:  Gonfalon Cubs

I don’t know what the deal is.  As I understood it, Jim’s vision was to create separate blogs for various teams (and, I guess, the AL Central)—repository for stories, articles, analysis, etc., by team.  Gonfalon Cubs was, to my understanding, the blog for the Cubs.

Now, it seems that if you go into the Baseball Primer Newsblog, you see dropdown menus for various subject matters and for each team ("Team Beats")—essentially capturing the “Read related” list at the end of the intro to each thread.  This enables one to capture all Cubs articles in one place . . . which is one thing I thought Gonfalon Cubs was designed to do.  Now we have this forum . . . wtf?

As for Gonfalon Cubs, I must say that I’m pretty disappointed.  I realize some of us have issues with who has the keys (or, more particularly, who doesn’t), but this alone isn’t my concern.  It’s true that Scott, Ross, and Mike aren’t really used to the venom most of us have or our in-jokes, but that’s ok for me—they’re starting to get used to it.

What I have a problem with is the fact that they’ve had a grand total of 4 links in the last 33 days.  During this same time span, there have been at least 38 different Cubs articles in the Newsblog, many of which have been posted at our suggestion.  Where the heck are the Gonfalon Cubs boys?

I realize that we’re all busy people and have personal lives (I hope), but if these folks signed on for a job, they should be around to do it.  If they can’t do it, they (or Jim) should give keys to people who can be more attentive.

I agree with you dJf.  I was a little bitter that I asked several times to be involved and ended up being snubbed, but I wouldn’t really care so long as the people who were running it actually seemed to want to be doing it.  As it is, GC seems like an afterthought, like they suddenly realize “oh #### I haven’t posted anything in a week I’d better drop by”.  There was such a rabid fan base to draw from, people who read Cubs news first thing in the morning and spend hours at BTF every day, I have no idea how or why it is that the decision was made to pick people who are never around as the only ones in charge.

I also think that if this reorganization looks like it looks now, with the Team Beats and the new forums, Gonfalon Cubs (and really every team blog) is redundant.  If we want to talk specifically about the Cubs, we can do it here.  If we want a repository for all of the Cubs articles on the site, we can use the Team Beat.  I guess I don’t understand how it all fits together yet (and maybe that will become more clear as Jim continues with the upgrade).

But it’s been a terrible disappointment to me.  We pushed and pushed and pushed for something similar to Sox Therapy, and then when we finally got it I felt like the kid who has to stand outside the toy store looking through the window.  What’s worse, the store is always closed and the display never changes.

The New No. 2 - 26 April 2006 07:14 AM

I think the biggest difference is that he’s simply getting lucky.  His rate stats aren’t all that different and the defense behind him isn’t all that different, yet his BABIP is really out of line with his other years.  See this : http://www.fangraphs.com/graphs.aspx?playerid=104&position=P&page=7&type=full

To be sure it has been really fun to watch but I don’t think it can continue.

Say what?

2006 Team Def Efficiency

2005 Team Def Efficiency

It’s early, but an increase from 70.7% to 76.1% is pretty damn significant.  This definitely doesn’t explain all of Maddux’s improvement, but it does explain some.

Now, as for the other topic here.  I agree with djf, and I know I’ve had this discussion before with both UCCF and djf.  I guess the forums do make GC kind of irrelevant.  I’m glad we have this now, hopefully everyone makes it over here if only for this part.

I hope it doesn’t generate any hard feelings, but I started a new thread for discussion about Gonfalon Cubs.  Let’s try and do something constructive about this.

Moses’s avatar frightens me.

Maybe I spoke a moment too soon about the defense, but my overall conclusion remains the same.  Maddux is giving up fewer GB than he has in the past few years, and more fly balls (and more fly balls to the outfield).  Line drives are about what they have been in the past.  The one sat that appears to be out of line is his hr per flyball ratio which is now at 4%.  The past five seasons are 9%, 13%, 18.3% and 14.9%.  My guess is that Maddux can’t keep giving up flyballs to the outfield without getting burned by either doubles or homeruns.  Like I said, enjoy this while its here because indications are that it won’t last.

It could be the defense, who knows, and I agree that his current HR rate (<10 for the full season: yeah, right) is not sustainable.  But I do see his pitches with more movement and better location.  I doubt he’ll keep it up, but I don’t discount his performance up to this point as entirely fluky.  IOW, I think he’s pitched more effectively.  Not three runs per game more effectively, maybe, but more effectively.

I think maddux has been getting a lot mor emovement this year, and overall his outfield defense has been better.  oh and i like the better then gonfalon

This is completely from what I’ve seen in person and on television but Juan Pierre is death to fly balls and line drives in the gap.  He made a catch on a liner in the left field gap the other afternoon but he tracked it down for an out.  If you are going to give up flyballs Pierre seems like an asset.

I’m surprised by the rumors posted elsewhere on the site that the Cubs are shopping Maddux to contenders.  For one thing, the starting rotation is still very up in the air and Maddux can at least be counted on to get out there every 5 days and perform reasonably well.  For another, the PR hit would be enormous.  I can’t imagine Hendry thinks it’s a good idea to move one of the most popular players after a month like he’s had.  The fans will revolt.

Veronica Mars is smarter than UCCF - 03 May 2006 01:52 PM

I’m surprised by the rumors posted elsewhere on the site that the Cubs are shopping Maddux to contenders.  For one thing, the starting rotation is still very up in the air and Maddux can at least be counted on to get out there every 5 days and perform reasonably well.  For another, the PR hit would be enormous.  I can’t imagine Hendry thinks it’s a good idea to move one of the most popular players after a month like he’s had.  The fans will revolt.

Where are these rumors?  Doesn’t Maddux have a no-trade clause?  And this would be an extremely out-of-character move for the Cubs to make.  Sounds like a pretty outlandish rumor to me.

I think mlbtraderumors.com had it, which is about as reliable as the NJ Star-Ledger

I just call complete and total ######## on Bruce’s column.  He’s talking out of his ass.  If there were rumors “out of the Windy City” like he claims, one of us here would have heard about it and posted it.