The Curse of Wrigley Field

I’m new to Cub fandom, so I’m pretty indifferent to the Jim Edmonds deal. While I’ve always hated the Cardinals, I never had a problem with Edmonds. In fact, I sorta-kinda respected him as a defensive player. But I’m not going to defend the Cubs’ decision to go after the guy.

First and foremost, Cubs fans hate him. My crack staff at The Curse has compiled a computer simulation of what may happen if Edmonds becomes a Cub. Here’s a screen grab from that simulation:

Jim Hendry, you now have the blood of the entire North Side on you hands. But aside from the less-than-welcomed response he will receive, there are three other reasons why this isn’t such a good idea.

1. Felix Pie is no Willie Mays but by age alone he has more range than Edmonds in centerfield. When he was in his prime, Edmonds would’ve been a no-doubt acquisition. But the key phrase is “when he was in his prime.” That’s long gone and now you have a guy that will try really hard, but will probably reach less than half of the bals he caught when he was younger. When a pitcher ages, he can learn to be more crafty to prolong his career. You really can’t do that as a centerfielder.

2. By virtue of being just 23 years old, Pie has upside. We’re not really sure how much upside, but it’s certainly more than Edmonds. In fact, I don’t think Edmonds has an upside at all. He may make a nice play or two while roaming centerfield, but will his bat be good enough to make us ignore the mediocre defense? If you’re going to bring in someone, at least bring in a player that you know will give you more offense. With Edmonds, no one really knows. Well, most Cubs fans will say they do know Edmonds will suck, but I’m an optimist.

3. Unless I’m drawing a blank, I’ve never seen Edmonds make an amazig catch at Wrigley. Call me crazy, but with that brick wall in the outfield, Edmonds may be a little more cautious than he was in St. Louis. It’s a lot easier to run full steam into the wall when it’s padded. Have fun trying that at Wrigley, Jim.

So there you have it. I don’t have anything against Edmonds, but I think the risks far outweigh the rewards.

The Cubs should take the advice of Sun-Times beat writer Gordon Wittenmyer. If Chicago is going to take a chance on an old veteran to help boost the club, it should look toward a pitcher rather than a fielder.