I'm on record with Mr. Taylor that I'm no longer discussing the "Zambrano Situation," so I will not discuss it.

Grabow is a major disappointment. Not that I had high expectations but he has been a disaster (caveat, its easy to pick on relief pitchers, but this guy sucks). I think he has had exactly one outing in which he did not allow a baserunner, and that was last Friday when he got a 1-3, K, >|, to end an inning. Other than that he has been terrible. I'm not sure why Hendry isn't finding out if Juan Cruz wouldn't like to come back to Chicago, unless someone else has offered him a shot. If I'm Jim, I would have made the call as soon as I was aware of his availablity, just to see what he's got.

That said, its nice to see the offense find some pitching they like with the Diamondbacks. The one person on the team I'm worried about is Aramis Ramirez. I know he struggled in spring training with some nagging issues, but Aramis, its May! Lets go!

I honestly believe he will turn this around. He's had some good at bats, and is clearly seeing the ball, as he is working counts, etc. I am nervous, though. A couple of games of breakout hitting would do a lot to calm my fears. He's already had 100 AB's, 20% of a season, so that's a pretty deep hole he's dug.

I think we all know I'm not high on Fontenot but Fontenot shouldn't really be in the bad section. He has a .303 average and a .347 OBP. Sure he has no pop but he is getting on at a good clip. He has only been hitless in 3 of his starts and has only failed to get on base in two of his starts so far. It isn't great by any stretch of the imagination but the guy is only pulling in 1 million dollars. I'm prefectly happy with getting that level of production out of the second base spot the whole season.

Tracy has been used as a PH 13 times so far and has only started 2 games and besides those two starts he has seen what, 4 innings in the field? I don't expect anybody to look good being treated like that. I think moving forward he should get more regular usage at third base until Aramis turns it around or Chad proves he can't hit better than Aramis. This is a guy who before his injuries was perfectly useful to a ballclub so it isn't like they would be sending Lenny Harris out there or anything like that.

Baker still has the pop but he can't make consistent contact. It would be nice if he could figure that out but if he hasn't figured it out by now he probably is never going to figure it out.

Nady for me is this years Jason Kendall so far. Can't hit anything but is still getting on via walks and HBP. Nady, like Tracy, is suffering from constantly getting one PA a game. He is part of a crowded OF and I don't see him getting a lot of at bats any time soon. I'd keep him around for awhile and see what shakes out.

As for Colvin what I wrote in the last one of these still holds true. I think he is going to come back down to earth fast. I think he is AAAA.

It is May 3rd and basically the season starts tomorrow. Sure they have spotted a few teams some games but they haven't dug themselves a hole and Lou and Hendry should have a pretty good feel as to what kind of team they have. I expect them to do well from here on out. I think 90 wins isn't unrealistic.

I think we all know I'm not high on Fontenot but Fontenot shouldn't really be in the bad section. He has a .303 average and a .347 OBP. Sure he has no pop but he is getting on at a good clip. He has only been hitless in 3 of his starts and has only failed to get on base in two of his starts so far. It isn't great by any stretch of the imagination but the guy is only pulling in 1 million dollars. I'm prefectly happy with getting that level of production out of the second base spot the whole season.

Well, that's why I didn't call it bad, and said maybe my hopes for him were too high. Does this mean no Sanchez/DeRosa talk this year? :)

Tracy has been used as a PH 13 times so far and has only started 2 games and besides those two starts he has seen what, 4 innings in the field? I don't expect anybody to look good being treated like that. I think moving forward he should get more regular usage at third base until Aramis turns it around or Chad proves he can't hit better than Aramis. This is a guy who before his injuries was perfectly useful to a ballclub so it isn't like they would be sending Lenny Harris out there or anything like that.

Baker still has the pop but he can't make consistent contact. It would be nice if he could figure that out but if he hasn't figured it out by now he probably is never going to figure it out.

Nady for me is this years Jason Kendall so far. Can't hit anything but is still getting on via walks and HBP. Nady, like Tracy, is suffering from constantly getting one PA a game. He is part of a crowded OF and I don't see him getting a lot of at bats any time soon. I'd keep him around for awhile and see what shakes out.

Oh, I agree it's too soon to jump to conclusions about any of these guys. The Trib had an article today where Lou was saying he's struggling to get Nady time because of how well the starters are playing. He'll start tomorrow in RF against Malholm though. As for Tracy, I think he sucks (and always has, to some extent), so I'm not really hoping to see him more and I don't know how much better he really could be - I think we're seeing about what the best case scenario is (that great 2005 really sticks out, even though he wasn't bad in 2006).

I'll hold off talking about Sanchez until he starts playing. DeRosa just hasn't been the same since injuring his wrist last year.

Lou has been pretty consistent with his tendencies to sit the cold hand and play the hot hand or at least move on to another option other than the cold hand. So I think at some point we will see less of Aramis and I think quite naturally Lou will turn to Tracy.

I'm watching from afar, so I wonder what every-day-Cubs-fans think of the improving DEPTH of this team. Is the fact that there's a touch more competition making some guys dial it up a bit more?

E.g., I'm thinking of Theriot maybe hearing Castro's distant footsteps, or Soriano seeing Colvin's hot start and realizing playing time ain't guaranteed (though the fat contract is).

Might be my imagination, though. But if it's not, sitting Aramis in favor of Tracy a few times might not be the worst idea.

I like the depth on this team-but I am also a believer in Colvin. I do think Nady will see more action as that elbow becomes 100%. I also think Hendry isn't too far away from making a move in the bullpen. I will say this-this is a more fun team to watch then last year, not just for the subtraction of Milton Bradley, who I think of terms of being as evil a villain as Alger Hiss or my ex-wife, but the team just seems to be more having fun out there.

Nady will play more as Fukudome cools down. Also wasn't Nady not supposed to be ready to play the OF until June or something? Unless the injury has long-term effects, he should be fine against LHP.

I'm not really interested in finding playing time for Tracy but I'd certainly give ARam some time off -- and maybe he's hurt. Anyway, he's 3rd on the team in PAs while he's usually a guy you want to give a good chunk of rest.

Gorz & Silva -- I'm almost ready to believe some of this is real. Silva's BIP pitcher act depends on not walking anybody and he's doing a pretty good job of that. Will have some UGLY starts when the wind starts blowing out regularly but a full season of 100 ERA+ is not unfathomable (of course that suggests the remainder of the season would be around a 85-90 ERA+ which is generally fine for a 5th starter).

Gorz is the guy that interests me though. With the Cubs at the ML level, he's got 67 K in 67 IP. He's K'd about 9/9 in the minors too. Pitt's silly "pitch to contact and feel free to walk people" pitching philosophy of the last several years may have been what did him in. The Cubs have been very good at producing (and signing) high-K pitchers these last several years. This just might be the right fit for Gorz.

The problem with a 100 ERA+ Carlos Silva is that it keeps a 120 ERA+ Carlos Zambrano in the bullpen.

The problem with a 100 ERA+ Carlos Silva is that it keeps a 120 ERA+ Carlos Zambrano in the bullpen.

Serenity now. Serenity now.

2009 Cubs: 88 team OPS+, tied for third lowest in the league, tied for ninth in OBA.
2010 Cubs so far: 102 OPS+, tied for fifth in the league, second in the league in OBA.

The Cubs likely will be made or broken on their offense. I am still very concerned about it, but they have certainly turned it around in the last few weeks.

Starlin Castro is at least as good defensively as Alcides Escobar (who I've liked from the first moment I saw him play), and he's a better hitter. I liked what I saw last year, and he's only gotten better this year.

Colvin's a better player than he's been given credit for being, but he really needs more minor league time. He's not terribly overmatched in center, so at worst he's going to have a career as a fourth outfielder.

-- MWE

So, I finally made it to a game for the first time in a couple of years this past Saturday. Whereupon I found my biggest disappointment of the season: the wave. At Wrigley.

When the hell did this crap start, and how do we stop it?

I'd comment about the team, but, seriously, I think seeing the wave at Wrigley short-circuited my brain. It's also possible that seeing Fonzie hit the ball did that, though.

i think one of the outfielders or maybe one of silva or gorz will be traded to shore up the pen.

edited to ad that the stat line has been updated

The Cubs likely will be made or broken on their offense. I am still very concerned about it, but they have certainly turned it around in the last few weeks.

I completely agree. I think the pen will work itself out, and there's plenty of depth at SP.

Starlin Castro is at least as good defensively as Alcides Escobar (who I've liked from the first moment I saw him play), and he's a better hitter. I liked what I saw last year, and he's only gotten better this year.

Us Cubs fans are weary of how the Cubs treat their prospects. When do you think would be a good time to bring him up? How long until he's ready? For now, Theriot is adequate to there is the gaping whole that usually precedes a premature callup.

Colvin's a better player than he's been given credit for being, but he really needs more minor league time. He's not terribly overmatched in center, so at worst he's going to have a career as a fourth outfielder.

I'm ok with 4th OF being his upside, but he is 24 (turns 25 in Sept). At point do we reach "what you see is what you get" with him?

So, I finally made it to a game for the first time in a couple of years this past Saturday. Whereupon I found my biggest disappointment of the season: the wave. At Wrigley.

When the hell did this crap start, and how do we stop it?

Ouch. I still don't remember seeing it happen in a game I've been too yet, but that is disappointing.

I've been to a couple games so far, including this past Sunday, and I haven't seen the wave. I haven't seen it at all over the last two years either. Hopefully it was just an anomaly.

2010 Cubs so far: 102 OPS+, tied for fifth in the league, second in the league in OBA.

Fascinating, because there's been pretty much two teams that the Cubs have actually managed to hit against, and they're two of the bottom three staffs in the league by ERA+. Fortunately, the Pirates are up next, and 4 of the bottom 7 staffs so far are in the Central, but overall I suppose I'm still very concerned, too.

Whereupon I found my biggest disappointment of the season: the wave. At Wrigley.

Say wha'? Where? It didn't make it around the whole stadium, did it? Having sold my Saturday tickets, I feel somehow responsible for this.

I have twice seen the wave get started in the left field corner through the left field stands and end at the batter's eye in CF. I've never seen it get farther than that.

Interestingly, the first instance I saw this was sitting in section 105 or so, and there was a large Rainbow Coalition group sitting a couple of sections over near the foul pole. They were a fun group but I wasn't a fan of them starting the wave.

For now, Theriot is adequate to there is the gaping whole that usually precedes a premature callup.

Yes, but 2B is a concern. If he's ready, Castro to SS, Theriot to 2B, Fontenot to the bench and one of Baker/Tracy out of a job makes all sorts of sense. As to when ... June 1 or thereabouts to keep his arb clock from starting too early. (This isn't a claim that Castro is ready, I have no idea. But I love the MWE stamp of approval.)

Colvin just might actually be in the best shape of his life. :-) They say he added 25 pounds of muscle this offseason (whistle and walk away as if nothing is happening) and the power he's shown so far would seem to back that up. This huge power spike can't be maintained of course but he had a nice jump at AA last year so we are closing in on 450 PA of increased power. Even being a 150 ISO hitter vs. a 100 ISO hitter would be huge for Colvin's value (even if just as a 4th OF). I'm glad they gave him the job over Fuld/Hof. I am contractually required to point out that his on-contact numbers are over 400/800 though and clearly he's in for a sizeable fall going forward.

Well, for what it's worth, the <a href="http://chicago.cubs.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20100503&c>House Organ</a> says that Castro's not coming up anytime soon, and that furthermore, someone named "Darwin Barney" (sounds like a fake name to me) would be called up instead of Castro if one or more of Theriot's limbs were severed.

My first game ever at Soldier Field was the home opener during the Super Bowl run and I recall someone trying and failing to do the wave. I pointed it out to my dad and he matter of factly stated that Chicago does not do the wave. And for the most part that has held true at every Chicago game I have ever been to.

Yes, but 2B is a concern. If he's ready, Castro to SS, Theriot to 2B, Fontenot to the bench and one of Baker/Tracy out of a job makes all sorts of sense. As to when ... June 1 or thereabouts to keep his arb clock from starting too early. (This isn't a claim that Castro is ready, I have no idea. But I love the MWE stamp of approval.)

As McCoy has pointed out, Fontenot hasn't been that bad. At least not bad enough for the demands to be that loud. If Castro keeps up this production, it'll get louder. Maybe having Patterson and Pie fail has helped keep the mainstream fan less reliant on the uberprospect.

My first game ever at Soldier Field was the home opener during the Super Bowl run and I recall someone trying and failing to do the wave. I pointed it out to my dad and he matter of factly stated that Chicago does not do the wave. And for the most part that has held true at every Chicago game I have ever been to.

Sadly, there was a wave at the Sox game last night that lasted for at least 10 revolutions. It disgusted us.

Sadly, there was a wave at the Sox game last night that lasted for at least 10 revolutions. It disgusted us.

That's funny, because I thought the Cell was where people went for a real baseball experience, not to hang out with all the poseurs who don't really care about baseball.

Say wha'? Where? It didn't make it around the whole stadium, did it? Having sold my Saturday tickets, I feel somehow responsible for this.

Well, at first, the left-field bleachers nearest the shrubs tried to start it, but it failed miserably. As it should. A couple of innings later, it looked like one started in the right field bleachers and made it around two or three times.

I fear that, because Derrek drove in the winning runs about a minute after they stopped, someone will take this as confirmation that it's acceptable behavior, and, yes, perhaps even a positive good. And if that happens, I may have to get my smiting arm back in shape.

I'll be damned. I've probably been to at least 300 games at Wrigley, and can't remember seeing a wave make it all the way around the park.

Re: the wave at Wrigley

If it makes you feel any better, some fans had a huge sheet with "Wave" written on it and then stamped out. The fans popped up and help up the banner in the direction that the wave was coming from right before it got to their section.

the wave. At Wrigley.

When the hell did this crap start, and how do we stop it?

I remember Harry Caray saying during a game, just before he retired, "they do the wave at Fenway? I thought they had more class than that."

I have no idea why that stuck in my mind.

I'll be damned. I've probably been to at least 300 games at Wrigley, and can't remember seeing a wave make it all the way around the park.

I have. Cardinals were in town.

So Theriot batting .357 is not a surprise? ;)

11 multi-hit games in his last 13 starts! Before that he was sitting at a .222 batting average and a .512 OPS and had only 2 multi-hit games in his first 13 games. I have no idea how long he can keep this up, the answer is probably not very, but do you guys think this is caused by Theriot abandoning his Dunston imitation of trying for homers? It seems to me that Theriot is going back to his old self of simply going with the pitch and banging out singles.

I have. Cardinals were in town.

ZING!

11 multi-hit games in his last 13 starts! Before that he was sitting at a .222 batting average and a .512 OPS and had only 2 multi-hit games in his first 13 games. I have no idea how long he can keep this up, the answer is probably not very, but do you guys think this is caused by Theriot abandoning his Dunston imitation of trying for homers? It seems to me that Theriot is going back to his old self of simply going with the pitch and banging out singles.

I haven't looked into it, but he seems like a very streaky hitter. He has yet to keep up a solid approach for any consistent period of time. IIRC, he played well early the last couple of years and faded down the stretch. When he's getting on base (and stays attached to that base), he's a very useful player. As I said above, I haven't watched a ton this year so can anyone tell me if he's cut back at all on his boneheadedness? Whether it's true or not, I'd like to think he can hear Castro's footsteps coming; if we're looking for other reasons for motivation, maybe losing arbitration has been eating at him.

In 2009 he was a .317 hitter to start the season had .273 and .265 before putting up .306 in June and July. Last year he was red hot the first week of baseball before cooling off. In 2008 he put together a hot streak at the end of April to close with a .323 BA and the next day it went up to .340. In 2007 he had a 10 game stretch in the middle of April that was red hot.

I see in fangraphs that his flyball rate is way down this year as compared to last year and his GB and LD are up as a consequence. It really does seem like Ryan is finally using his speed more than in years past.

I think Theriot can be a useful slap hitter at second base. He isn't a very bright baserunner, I can attest to seeing this personally and on televsion. I do think however, that the dugout is having more say about when he's adventuring around the bases than in years past.

MAY

The Cubs were 2 games under for April and in May they did it again winning two games less than they won. So now they are 4 games under and 6 back. Sure it is possible they could come back but it isn't bloody likely. They got two teams in front of them for the division and another 5 teams ahead of them for the Wild Card. We just hit June but the Cubs are basically playing for a winning record from here on out.

We probably didn't think it was possible and probably everybody thought it wouldn't happen but the Cubs offense in May was actually worse than the Cubs offense in April. Despiter playing four less games in April than in May the Cubs managed to score 4 less runs overall in May. The Cubs offense averaged an anemic 3.86 runs per game. The pitching was largely the same with just a slight uptick in runs per game. Unfortunately that means the bullpen still sucked and the starters were slightly less fantastic than they were in April.

Big Hitters for the month:
Alfonso Soriano: .308/.376/.626 with 9 doubles, 1 triple, and 6 homers
and then. . . . .crickets.
Well, technically Mike Fontenot and Tyler Colvin had a good month but since they were not platoon partners their minimal amount of PA doesn't really add up to one starter's worth of plate appearances.
Mike Fontenot: .347/.407/.633 with 5 doubles, 3 triples, and a homer in 54 PA
Tyler Colvin: .333/.367/.667 with 3 doubles and 2 homers in 30 PA.

Slumping Hitters for the month
Aramis Ramirez: .173/.241/.253 with 3 doubles and a homer in 83 PA
Ryan Theriot: .238/.259/.248 with 1 freakin double
Geovany Soto: .200/.333/.329 with 3 doubles and 2 homers in 84 PA


But really pretty much all the hitters could be in this category. Byrd has been slumping the last couple of weeks, Fukudome is doing is yearly bat migration, and Lee can't put it together.

Big Pitchers for the month
Ted Lilly: 3.21 ERA in 33.2 innings to along with a 1.13 WHIP in 5 starts but thanks to the Cubs offense he is 0-3 for the month. He has gone 6 innings or more in all 5 of his starts so far and has only given up more than 3 runs in a start once and that was 4 runs in 7 innings at the beginning of the month. I thought Ted Lilly was a mediocre FA signing when they got him but Hendry snagged himself a pretty good starter with his purchase of Lilly

Sean Marshall: 2 earned runs in 13.33 innings of work so far. Lou really should be getting this guy more work. He only appeared in 4 games this month and for a bullpen that sucks this bad I'm surprised he isn't riding Marshall more. He is just as effective against righties this year as he is against lefties and this a guy they could definitely let go for more than an innings worth of work.

Carlos Marmol: 3 earned runs in 13 innings of work over 13 games. Again, Lou needs to break from the norm. What is the point of having a setup guy and a closer if you can barely ever use them because your middle relief is blowing the game wide open before you can even get to these guys?

Carlos Silva: People would probably question why he isn't here if I leave him off so he is here. 5-0 in 6 starts this month but I'd say he has only pitched 1 gem so far this month and that was his last start. The beginning of the month saw him get de-BRACKINed and everyone thinking he was going back to his old ways but his next 3 starts put him solidly back into the middle of the rotation type pitcher. A solid #3 or #4 guy.

After that you have some hit or misses. James Russell has been pretty solid but it did give up that lead off homer today. It wouldn't have been a big deal except that the Cubs can't score runs and so it help kill the Cubs. Other than that 3 runs in 13 innings but all three runs were homers so that is troubling.

Slumping Pitchers for the month:
John F'in Grabow: ugh, thank god Hendry has buried him on the DL. Hopefully he never comes off it and another one of his stupid multiyear crap signings.
Pretty much the entire back end of the bullpen. Berg, Gray, Zambrano. . .

Randy Wells has had some solid starts and some bad starts. I guess Gorz got the boot because the Cubs believe Wells is a nice cheap future for them and why scuttle that over a little inconsistency.

Nice future:
Randy Wells
Starlin Castro

Both have been pretty good at times and both have struggled. Both are being given the chance to make it and both appear to be making the most of it. It will be interesting to see what Castro does the rest of the year and unfortunately that might be the only interesting thing to watch the rest of the year. He has already gone through a slump this year and has bounced back nicely. I'm sure it'll happen more as the season wears on but hopefully he can keep himself from cratering.

Things to watch in June:
Starlin Castro

Second Base:
With Castro being installed at short the Cubs moved Ryan over to second and put Fontenot on the bench. At the time Theriot was red hot and Fontenot was scuffling. Since then Theriot has cratered and Fontenot has been hitting the ball well. As much as I have been against Fontenot in the past Lou should stick with his tendency of giving the hot hand the start. Fontenot should be getting as many at bats as possible until he cools off and with Aramis and Theriot slumping badly there should be no shortage of at bats for him. Which leads to the third thing to watch. . . .

Aramis Ramirez:
I think the question now isn't when will Aramis snap out of this but just how bad will it be and can Aramis put up the worst season all time for a guy who is a solid bet to put up a mid 120 to mid 130 OPS+ year in year out.

The Two Carlos (okay how do you make Carlos plural?):
How long can one keep this up and can the other one can get it going again and is this some sort of ying tang thing where in order for one to be good the other is bad?

The Schedule:
In years past looking at a schedule and seeing you got 5 games with the Pirates coming up would generally make Cubs' fans very happy. Unfortunately that hasn't been true this year. On paper June should be a pretty easy month for them. They got 20 games aginst the White Sox, Pirates, Astros, Mariners, and Brewers. They have only 6 games against teams with a better record than them and they are the Angels and A's and both of those teams are struggling to score runs as well. Like I said on paper that is an easy schedule but the reality might be different for the Cubs. As mentioned already the Cubs have struggled mightily against the Pirates, the White Sox games are always see-saw affairs, and depending on how you want to view those AL West teams could be just as good as the Cubs to much better than them.

So that is my May review. If you want go ahead and post it on the main page. If not, well, I hope it sparks some Cubs talk.

oh ad I think lou is doing a good jobb so far.

You know these runs in the late innings wouldn't be such a big deal if the Cubs could score more than 2 FREAKIN RUNS once in awhile.

We probably didn't think it was possible and probably everybody thought it wouldn't happen but the Cubs offense in May was actually worse than the Cubs offense in April.

I certainly remember thinking that it could get worse. At the time, the Cubs had a lot of guys hitting well, and no one except for Lee and Ramirez who figured to get any better than what they were then. I might have figured that the RISP average might tick upwards, but other than that, it was hard to see where things were going to improve - any improvement from Lee and Ramirez was bound to be offset by comebacks-to-earth by Byrd, Fukudome, Theriot, and likely Soto to a lesser extent (although he's cratered too, as you note). And we're due for a Soriano slump, too, so it might get even worse.

And Randy Wells with a nice future? It's never going to be any better than it is right now for him.

I think Jeff Stevens bears watching. He's struck out a lot of guys in the minors - 10.8 K/9 in over 100 IP in AAA - but has had trouble getting his walks under control (4.4 BB/9 in AAA). Lou's typically impatient with walks out of the pen but his early returns this season have been encouraging. We'll see how it goes.

Castro's hit the skids a little bit, but I hope they're patient with him. It would be stupid to call him up just to sit him (or send him back to Iowa) the first time he slumps but the pressure for Hendry to win RIGHT NOW is enormous and must grow with every loss. He doesn't have the luxury of patience, since Cubs nation will be calling for his head if this team doesn't turn things around. And rightly so.

And Randy Wells with a nice future? It's never going to be any better than it is right now for him.

I'm not talking superstar future but a cheap middle to back end of the rotation option for years to come. With the Cubs payroll the way it that makes Wells a very valuable and important player for the Cubs. In otherwords messing with Wells could very well cost the Cubs tens of millions of dollars down the road.


Castro's hit the skids a little bit, but I hope they're patient with him. It would be stupid to call him up just to sit him (or send him back to Iowa) the first time he slumps but the pressure for Hendry to win RIGHT NOW is enormous and must grow with every loss. He doesn't have the luxury of patience, since Cubs nation will be calling for his head if this team doesn't turn things around. And rightly so.

I don't know, the Cub fans have been calling for his head since almost day one and he has a ton of years left on his contract. I think the team is built to win now but I also think Hendry understands just how valuable producing starters from within is to this team and their payroll limits. This isn't a Dusty Baker led team anymore and it is different than the mid 2000's era Cubs which had no patience for development.

zambrano starts today.

zambrano starts today.

Our nightmare is over. Well, at least that one. We're still Cubs fans.

Chicago has given up on trying to turn the 29-year old into a late-inning setup man. Zambrano was moved to the bullpen to help stabilize it in April.

"The reason we did it was because we needed him in the bullpen," Cubs pitching coach Larry Rothschild said. "Hopefully, and it looked like the last three or four times out, he got much more aggressive and more animated delivery-wise and let the ball go with a little better sense of purpose. Hopefully that carries over."

This story just gets more wierd. "Given up?" They hardly ####### used him in the bullpen. Seriously. There was something else going on behind this.

Hendry also said they were hoping the move would get some velocity back. I dont know if that really answers the question, though.