Consider this to be my warning shot to Cubdom.
Mark DeRosa was a pretty good ballplayer in Chicago. He wasn't great. He was good. He hit 31 homers, drove in 159 runs, hit .289, on-based 373, slugged .451 and OPSed .824 primarily as a second baseman while dabbling at first, short, third, right and left in his two year reign in Chicago.
When he was traded, Cubs fans were outraged and that was understandable. Replacing Mark DeRosa with Aaron Miles is like replacing a reliable Honda Civic for a Yugo. And when DeRosa returned to Chicago, the Wrigley faithful gave him a standing ovation. Again. And again. And again.
Personally, I don't want to see that again. He's a Cardinal now. It's time to get over it.
Cubs fans slurped DeRosa so hard in his return, you would have thought they were erecting his statue next to Ernie Banks or retiring his number alongside Ernie, Billy Williams, Greg Maddux, Fergie Jenkins and Ron Santo.
Cubs fans, look at that dreaded sign over the right field bleachers. Your team hasn't won a World Series in 100 years and hasn't even squared off agaisnt an American League team in October since 1945. DeRosa didn't change that. There's no reason to treat him like he did.
Now the Cardinals have DeRosa and Chicago is up in arms. Milton Bradley has been bad and you can apparently add manager Lou Piniella to the list of people trying to bring him down. Ryan Dempster's glove trick is not apparently tricking anyone anymore
The Cards getting DeRosa is like watching your girlfriend leave town for her new job, only to return to be dating your slack-jawed cousin who believes Larry The Cable Guy is the funniest man in the history of comedy.
Meanwhile, your new special lady friend, who started off as cute, but tempermental, has been unable to step out of the buffet line since the day you started dating. And yet, the girl is still one weight watchers meal away from being able to seen holding hands with her again.
The Cubs are only 3.5 games out of first place, and that is fine and dandy. But Cubs fans, if you want to be angry, re-direct your anger, torches and pitchforks to the office of Jim Hendry. It was Hendry who failed to replace DeRosa's production at second base. It was Hendry who insisted on signing Bradley and re-signing Dempster. It was Hendry who failed to replentish a bullpen that has been flat-out full of bullsh*t.
As for the most beloved ex-Cub in team history, he'll get his second first-shot against his former North Side pals on July 10 at Wrigley Field, a game the TBDS staff will be in attendance at.
Funny how things work sometimes.
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