For all kinds of reasons, Tribune needs to launch the blimp headed columnist.

I didn't think Carlos Silva would actually break camp with the Cubs last season.  I currently believe he is very unlikely to break camp with the Cubs this season.

All and all, I figure that Stever Rosenbloom will likely get his wish and Carlos Silva will be "launched" before this season starts.

But Rosenbloom's vicious attack on a guy that was pissed off at teammates who appeared to be playing at a little league level yesterday was way over the top and completely uncalled for.

Steve Rosenbloom's blog post was titled "For all kinds of reasons, the Cubs need to launch the blimp pitcher".  That right there...to call Silva a blimp...well, I've called him the Orca, also know as a killer whale...but a blimp has an even larger negative connotation associated with it and is just uncalled for as a headline.  

Silva entered camp this year exclaiming that he was a lock for the rotation.  We all know he isn't.  And the truth is, he knows he isn't as well.  In fact, Silva probably realizes that if he doesn't pitch well this spring, he's probably out of a job with the Cubs.  Saying something like that can often times indicate a strong confidence in one's abilities.  It is also likely to be another instance where a Latin player makes a somewhat comical comment that flies over the fat heads of the Chicago media.

Looks like either the porcine pitcher goes or Mike Quade’s authority will.

First he's a blimp.  Now he's a pig. Don't worry, more fat jokes to come. 

Now the story was supposed to be about getting rid of Carlos Silva, but then Rosenbloom going into a rant about Quade.

But wait. There’s more. Quade think thinks it might be a positive thing....
Just four games into his first full season as manager, and Quade sounds like he’s out of answers. How lame is it to say "maybe we needed to get ticked off"? If Quade thinks he needs a dugout scuffle to change things with his players, then it sounds as if Quade doesn’t know what to do. Is it too early to wonder whether this would’ve happened under Ryne Sandberg?

I'm fairly sure if Sandberg had been the manager, he would have beat the crap out of both of the players and Rosenbloom would have been calling for the Cubs to launch him as he can't control his temper either.

But back to Silva...

In Wednesday’s scuffle, Ramirez says Silva shot off his mouth after a six-run, three-error, two-homer first inning. I’m not sure Silva understands the concept of fighting for a spot in the rotation.

Um, I think Silva's actions indicate just how aware he is that he is fighting for a spot in the rotation.  Intensity.  Trying to fire a team up.  Some might argue that is showing some leadership.  In fact, a number of bloggers (I wasn't one of them) sided with Zambrano last year when he got into a scuffle with Derrek Lee saying that this was Z's way to fire up the team.  Rosenbloom didn't side with him...probably because Z was a Latin player, like Silva.

Oh, and speaking of Latin players, let's dump on Aramis now too...

Ramirez made one of the errors, but it appears Silva was firing on someone else and Ramirez came to that player’s defense. If true, then we have history, ladies and genetlemen. Mark it down: a rare spasm of Ramirez’s jumping defensively.

But that wasn't mean enough...

This actually moves him perilously close to acting like the leader he has never been.

Yes, the Cubs defense sucked.  Silva was upset.  I would be too.  There's been no video of said incident.  Rosenbloom's not even in Arizona.  Practically everything that we know about what happened was second hand.  Ramirez didn't seem too concerned.  The manager didn't seem too concerned.  Big deal.  He's sure drawing a lot of conclusions on an event he has not witnesses, even on video. 

Ok...but we haven't had a Silva fat joke in a while...let's see, find another Latin player...and make this post worse...ah, Carlos Pena to the rescue!

...Carlos Pena was brought in to play first base was to provide an example for the Cubs’ young Latin players....Pena’s first lesson ought to be: Don’t become fat and bad, kids.

This next statement might be the dumbest of the whole post...

I have no idea why Silva gets off here. He has been awful since last year’s All-Star break, both on and off the mound. The guy had elbow and heart problems, not to mention getting-people-out problems with that 11.12 ERA in the second half

Let's see...he's been awful since last year's all-star break...yes...BECAUSE the guy had elbow and heart problems. That has nothing to do with why Silva may get off here.  Koyie Hill sucked for the entire 2010 season and he had not elbow or heart problems and he's guaranteed a job.  This is a shitty team.  Silva fits right in according to Rosenbloom's analysis.  I'd be pissed two if I wasn't guaranteed a job on this shitty team. 

Time for another fat joke...

No, sorry, ridiculous is why the guy still gets a septuple-XL Cubs jersey.

Oh...and how about another one just for good measure...

There’s no good reason to keep this blob around.

Ok, now comes time to compare Silva to the media's most hated player, Milton Bradley...

He has one big year left on a contract acquired in exchange for Milton Bradley -- maybe Silva thought being traded for Bradley meant he had to act like the same kind of jerk -- so the Cubs need to ask themselves: What's the price of sanity and what's the cost of stupidity and stubbornness?

Look, I think the Cubs will probably end up cutting Silva, but it will have more to do with the fact they don't have room in their starting rotation for him and he really doesn't have a role in the bullpen.  Silva is a jerk because he understandably was upset that his team committed 3 errors in one inning behind him as he is pitching for what very well could be his career?

Rosenbloom has made it pretty obvious that none white players have not place in a Cubs uniform...and the Latin players are either lazy like Ramirez or complete nut cases like Zambrano and Silva.   I can't wait to see which of these to categories Starlin Castro falls into.

Oh...it's been a while since we've had a fat joke, here's one last stab...

There’s no good reason to keep Silva The Hutt around.

That's  better.  I almost forgot the Silva was a large person.  The bigger question is how can someone with such a fat head as Steve Rosenbloom have such a small brain inside it.

Look, I think Silva should be let go...especially if the Cubs have no intention of using him as a starting pitcher this year.  Let someone else give him a chance.  He might not have the best attitude, but this is just uncalled for.

I know I've been harsh toward Silva in the past, but this is just over the top.  My nickname for him, Orca, was meant to poke a little fun at him while at the same time, actually complement him.  As some of you may have recalled, the name came at the same time as an unfortunate incident at Sea World last year.  The name came as he was pitching well, and a Killer Whale seemed somewhat appropriate.

This isn't the first time I've scolded Steve Rosenbloom here.  I seriously hope the Tribune looks seriously removing this man from their payroll.  He is destructive to the Cubs ability to draw talent to Chicago.  The media in this town is brutal enough without assholes like Rosenbloom.  Unfortunately, 670 The Score has let Rosenbloom host shows occasionally too giving him yet another way to spew this crap (which he seem to relish).

Give us some real news, Rosenbloom.  Stop spewing this crap out.  That's my job. 

Just to tally it all up...Silva is...

• A blimp
• A pig
• Fat
• Bad
• A septuple XL
• A blob
• A jerk
• Stupid
• Stubborn
• A psycho (not quoted)
• A Hutt

I'm fairly sure Milton Bradley didn't even suffer abuse of this severity, but that's probably because Bradley isn't a Latin American.

update:

I suppose I should post a link to this unfortunately post for Rosenbloom's...so here.

Phil Rogers…oh how hateful art thou?

Something really pissed me off today…so a quick rant to deal with it….

Phil Rogers has chimed in on the Matt Garza trade.

He thinks it’s a good idea. So does Al Yellon…so there.

That’s not why I’m writing this.

Rogers took this Matt Garza trade as an opportunity to continue his assault on Carlos Zambrano.

In his post about the benefits of the Garza trade, Rogers said this…

…Garza has a powerful arm along the lines of Zambrano before his decline, and thus has the potential to do what Zambrano did not — develop into a reliable, long-term ace.

First off, decline? While, yes, Zambrano’s win total has declined from 2007 to 2009, Z’s ERA and ERA+ have gone up each of the last 4 seasons. In fact, Zambrano’s WAR was 2.4 last year having nearly half of his innings pitched cut because of various reasons. I’m not saying Zambrano is getting better, but his stats over the last 4 years do not show a decline.

As far as an ace, Zambrano has been the teams opening day starter for the last 6 seasons. In fact, Carlos Zambrano has the 14th highest active WAR of any pitcher…and he’s only 29 years old…younger than anyone else that is ahead of him. Sorry, he’s been arguably the team’s best pitcher since 2004. Is he the best ace out there? No…but he is an ace, and he has been a long term ace no matter what happened last season.

That's the biggest hole on a Cubs' team that has had plenty of holes since the back-to-back playoff seasons in 2007 and '08.

Wrong…the biggest hole since the 2007 and 2008 playoff seasons is a hitter that can consistently drive in runs. The failures of Derrek Lee, Alfonso Soriano and Aramis Ramirez are what has, more than anything else, caused the drop-off over the last 2 seasons.

But it's almost impossible to win without a No. 1 starter and Zambrano's regression has left the Cubs without one.

I would argue a bit with this point...if what he says is true and Zambrano isn't the Cubs ace...based on Z's stats, 2007 and 2008 were a couple of his worst seasons, yet with this "non-ace" leading the team, they went to two consecutive playoffs. Z's supposed regression was during 2007 and 2008. It didn't appear to be too impossible for the Cubs to win in those season.

And any argument that says the Garza is going to fill that role is likely wrong. Garza might develop into that guy in 2 or 3 years, which Rogers correctly states. But, in my observations, players like Garza are available almost every off-season…so why not wait until the team is rebuilt before going after a player like him. The price was too damn, especially on a team rebuilding. What does Garza show that Zambrano showed 4 years ago? Nothing. In fact, Zambrano was a much better pitcher than Garza at the age and experience level that Garza is currently at.

It’s asking a lot to think that an unproven pitching coach can develop Garza to more than he currently is.

But back to the point about Zambrano…look, I want him gone as much as anyone…but to call Zambrano a pitcher in decline is just false. In fact, even with all the back and forth, in and out of the bullpen, mental health sessions and such, Zambrano put together one of his best seasons…especially if you were to stretch his stats out to 30 starts.

It is irresponsible to say that he is in decline, especially coming off his 2nd half this year. Just look at the stats. I’m not going to carry out pitch forks and try to drive this guy out of town just because I want him gone (though, I suppose I have, and I have apologized for that). And it’s one thing for me to say anything with my 3 readers. It is quite another for a reporter who has thousands (or maybe hundreds now) of readers to skew things like this about a team's best pitcher over the last decade.

Come on, Phil...look at the facts.

Yes...it does happen: Racism at Wrigley....Come on, Cubs fans!

Ok, I had a great time at the game last night.

Just one problem...

Some jerk sitting in the cheap seats behind me...

In the 8th inning...

Marlon Byrd strikes out...

And then the unforgivable sin...

Some jerk loudly blurts out the 'N' word.

I didn't see who it was...but I was not the only person that heard it.  He didn't even really shout it at Marlon, he used it more as a loud grumbling in disappointment over the strikeout and used it as an adjective about Marlon.  

Look, I have been on record over at LOHO as saying that racism is prevalent all over our society...and at the same time I criticized Milton Bradley for, what I felt, was unfair blame placed on Cubs fans last year, and basically saying that Milton's cry babying about it only worked to diminish the problem of racism in this country.

But then this happened last night...this happened to a player that is Milton Bradley's exact opposite.  A player who, by all accounts, is a great teammate.  A player who has already been hugely embraced by the fans at Wrigley.  I'm not saying doing the same to Milton Bradley is ok, but if this can be done to and aimed at Marlon Byrd, it sure gives a lot more credit to Milton's case. 

I really wish I knew who that was, because I probably would have given him a piece of my mind.  Geez, there were a lot of kids sitting in that area when that happened too.  I'm really surprised no one pointed the person out.  Six or 7 people in my section turned around to find out who did it but no one obvious stood out...and many of us were talking about it after the fact. 

Has Chicago become this backwards that this is common place everywhere?  My desire to move back to the Windy City is really high right now, but this is really upsetting.  Maybe I've lived in Madison so long that I have grown much more sensitive to the issue...but I don't think hatred and bigotry make for a good environment for anyone to live in.

Come on, Cubs fans!  How disappointing.  This is totally unacceptable.