(Forbes Field photo from public domain, taken July 5, 1909, shortly after opening)

For ballpark buffs out there -- and fans of the Cubs must have a certain affection for the early steel-and-concrete parks -- tonight's game against the Pirates marks the centennial of Forbes Field, Pittsburgh's ballpark from 1909-1970.

And did you know that the Cubs opened the ballpark exactly 100 years ago today?

They were winners, too: 3-2 in one hour and 54 minutes.

I spent some time this afternoon researching the Chicago Tribune's archives and picked up Ring Lardner's story that appeared in the July 1, 1909, edition of the Chicago Daily Tribune.

As was typical of the time, the story doesn't feature any quotes from the players, but it does feature some neat information on the opening of the $1-million ballpark. (For reference, Wrigley Field opened five years later as a Federal League park that cost just $250,000.)

• An over-capacity crowd of 36,338 broke baseball's previous record by 91 fans. It was said to be a peaceful crowd that overflowed "from first base all the way around the outskirts of the yard."

• Lardner: "If there had been no ball game at all the masses of sweltering humanity would have paid for their coming, for the stands on Forbes field look out on some of the prettiest scenery to be found in Pennsylvania. And the stands themselves are pretty enough to draw sightseers even if there was nothing else for them to see.

Continue reading 'When the Cubs opened Forbes Field 100 years ago'...

On Friday, I was walking down the hallway of the Cubs front office when Patti James, the Cubs manager of minor-league operations, told me that Brett Jackson, the Cubs' first-round pick of the 2009 First-Year Player Draft, was in town to take his physical and cross the T's and dot the i's on his contract.

My managing editor, Lena McDonagh, had told me the Cal outfielder was here just moments before, so I told Patti that Vine Line would jump at the chance to take some photos. Every year, we usually try to get a photo of the player signing his contract for our records and for the player and his parents.

Jackson signed a $972,000 deal with the Cubs and will be headed to Mesa, Ariz. At some point he will then head to short-season Boise of the Northwest League.

We met Jackson in the front office conference room and got some shots of him signing his contract. We wanted to take some photos of him out in centerfield--the place we all hope he will be roaming sometime in the near future. Today, however, he just was happy to be at Wrigley Field and in Chicago.

"I love Chicago--it's a great town," he said. "Every time I've been here it's been a lot of fun, and the people are so nice here."

He was going to be on a flight back to California in the early afternoon, so he wasn't going to have the chance to take in a little Cubs/Sox rivalry. Hopefully it won't be long before he does. Scouting assistant Alex Suarez, publications intern, Kelsey Peters, and I took Jackson down to the clubhouse to get fitted for a hat and jersey.

His hat size is 7 1/4, but one would've thought his head was even smaller, because this kid didn't have an arrogant bone in his body. There was no big head here.

Just then, Cubs right-hander Rich Harden walked into the clubhouse. It was cool to see this young man seem just a little taken aback at seeing a guy he no doubt grew up watching while Harden was with the Oakland A's and Jackson was growing up in the Bay Area. I introduced them and they seemed to hit it off.

Continue reading 'Californian dreaming...at Wrigley Field'...

Editor's Note: About every two weeks, Cubs outfielder Kosuke Fukudome updates his diary, which can be found on his website www.fukudome1.com. Translation by Hiro Aoyama, Japanese media assistant and interpreter.

 

Hello,

My body feels good, and I have no injuries so far, so I need to be patient for now with my hitting. (Kosuke had four hits and went 4-for-5 on June 20th, a day after he wrote this diary entry). The team needs to be patient as well, since we are around .500. We have a month left before the All-Star break, and we definitely would like to have more wins before then.

Speaking of games against the Atlanta Braves, I really enjoyed a game against Kenshin Kawakami (below) on J  une 22, a makeup of a June rainout. Kawakami is a former teammate 

in Japan. I always watched his back from the outfield, so it felt really awkward to look at his face from the batter's box. When I went up for my first at-bat, I almost laughed at him, and I am sure he almost did, too. I thought he was a really good pitcher when I was in Japan, but after facing him, he is a great pitcher.  He located his pitches really well.  I don't think he made a single mistake when he faced me... There were no easy pitches to it.

I might have faced him once before in Japan. It was probably during a team scrimmage in Japan.  I don't remember how I did, but I think I struck out. 

After the game, I and Kawakami went out for a quick dinner together--his treat.  We talked a lot, mostly about a life in the United States since I have more experience in the United States. 

I am looking forward to facing him again in Chicago next month. (The Cubs have a series against Atlanta on July 6-8).  I think this time I will treat him in Chicago..... maybe.

 
--Kosuke Fukudome

 

 

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Yesterday afternoon, the Cubs signed their top pick from MLB's 2009 First-Year Player Draft, Cal outfielder Brett Jackson for a reported $972,000, pending a physical.

Jackson is a high-motor guy with a quick bat, strong hands and a near-major league ready body. He boasts plus speed and covers some serious ground in centerfield. He has good instincts, takes good routes to balls and owns a plus arm. His power is above-average, which means the left-handed hitter could  project anywhere from 12-18 homers a year.

With that, however, comes some swings and misses, as he led the Golden Bears this year in strikeouts, with 68. He makes good contact nonetheless and should hit for average.

In three seasons at Berkeley, Jackson batted .303 with 91 runs scored, 25 doubles, 11 triples, 12 home runs and 85 RBIs in 152 games.

In the July issue of Vine Line, both scouting director Tim Wilken and area scout John Bartsch chimed in on Jackson's abilities. Neither are worried about the strikeouts and are fully confident that Jackson will be patrolling Wrigley Field's outfield sooner, rather than later.

"We're really thrilled we could acquire a player like Brett Jackson," Wilken said. "He plays the game hard, and we think he has a chance to be a front-line centerfielder and everyday player," he added. "He has an above-average throwing arm. He's an athletic centerfielder, a plus runner and has a chance to have some power."

 

Said Bartsch: "He's a hard-nosed player who likes to get dirty and compete. He's got a short compact stroke with stronq, quick hands. He's got plus range in all directions, gets good reads off the bat and takes instinctive routes....He looks the part now. He still gets pull happy at the plate. He needs to recognize off-speed pitches better and use the whole field. But he has the tools to play."

--Mike Huang

To subscribe to Vine Line, visit  http://chicago.cubs.mlb.com/chc/fan_forum/vineline.jsp

Alfonso Soriano flies into first base, as his ninth-inning RBI flare downs the Sox. (Stephen Green)

Soriano, LF
Theriot, SS
Bradley, RF
Lee, 1B
Soto, C
Fontenot, 3B
Fukudome, CF
Blanco, 2B
Zambrano, RHP

Right-hander Gavin Floyd (4-5, 4.94 ERA) pitches for the White Sox.

I won't jinx things by playing weather forecaster today. (No makeup date has yet been announced for last night's game -- it won't be scheduled during this series, though.)

Same lineup today facing left-hander John Danks for the White Sox. Ryan Dempster will pitch for the Cubs, with Carlos Zambrano being pushed until tomorrow afternoon.

It's drizzling a bit at the ballpark right now, but we should be getting the first of three games against the White Sox underway just fine today.

Soriano, LF
Theriot, SS
Bradley, RF
Lee, 1B
Soto, C
Johnson, CF
Fontenot, 3B
Miles, 2B
Zambrano, RHP

Lefty John Danks (4-5, 4.81 ERA) will pitch for the White Sox.

Crosstown, split town

The Cubs and White Sox are at a dead-even split through 66 regular-season head-to-head games since interleague play began. And the White Sox have the slightest of advantages in runs scored, 323-322.

On a roll

Cubs first baseman Derrek Lee is sporting a 1.018 OPS (.456 OBP + .562 SLG) since May 16 ... prior to this stretch, Lee had begun the year with a .607 OPS in his first 26 contests, recording a .270 OBP and .337 slugging percentage.

Editor's Note: About every two weeks, Cubs outfielder Kosuke Fukudome updates his diary, which can be found on his website www.fukudome1.com. Translation by Hiro Aoyama, Japanese media assistant and interpreter.

Hello all.

I felt it took a really long time to break our losing streak. We tried a lot of things to break the pattern, and I remembered we had a rally cap on from the first inning of the game against San Diego [in late-May]. We felt we should do anything we can to help our team, but it felt so nice to win a game finally. For the game [May 26 against the Pirates], I had a solo home run to lead our team. I really wanted to continue playing the game until the end. [The game was cut short due to rain.]

Mr. Kyosuke Sasaki went back to Japan, and I am feeling much better than where I was around the same time last year. I asked him to come to Chicago again sometime in July. If he has to come to Chicago early, it means I am probably feeling a little awkward with my swing mechanics. I am thankful to Mr. Sasaki for his work and visit to Chicago.
 
I saw my name on the MLB All-Star vote. I thank every fan for their votes, and I want everyone to know that it gives me confidence to my game.

I am excited about the Atlanta series [June 2-4] since I will likely face Kenshin Kawakami [a former teammate in Japan]. I want to have dinner together there to talk about baseball and life in the U.S.

Lastly, the temperature in Chicago is warming up little by little, and I would like to bring my numbers up little by little, as well.

Ryan Theriot and the Cubs celebrate a walk-off win Sunday against the Twins.

Soriano, LF
Fukudome, CF
Bradley, RF
Lee, 1B
Soto, C
Fontenot, 3B
Theriot, SS
Miles, 2B
Lilly, LHP

Right-hander Scott Baker (4-6, 5.59 ERA) takes the hill today for the Twins.

Coaching shakeup

The Cubs today relieved hitting coach Gerald Perry of his duties, after two and a half seasons with the club. He's replaced by Von Joshua, who was hitting coach for Triple-A Iowa the last four seasons. Joshua was last a big-league hitting coach with the 1998-2001 Chicago White Sox.

Did you know?

Cubs assistant general manager Randy Bush played 12 seasons for the Minnesota Twins and faced right-handed pitchers in 96 percent of his plate appearances (3361-of 3480). As you can guess, he was a left-handed hitter.

His experiences as a player and, now, decision-maker are the subject of my July "Leading Off" column in Vine Line. Get the insider perspective by subscribing today.

-- Sean Ahmed

   Cubs right-hander Rich Harden made his return to the mound yesterday after coming off the disabled list earlier in the day. Harden pitched well, despite taking the tough-luck 2-0 loss, giving up just the two runs on five hits and two walks while striking out nine.

Below are a couple of shots taken by one of our auxiliary photographers, Chris Bernacchi.

Infielder Aaron Miles also returned on Wednesday from the disabled list, his shoulder looking better and stronger, he said.

--Mike Huang

   It has been a rocky start for Cubs rightfielder Milton Bradley. Between a groin and calf injury as well as struggling at the plate, Bradley has certainly not begun his Cubs career the way he envisioned it.

On Friday, his struggles came to a head after he lost a ball in the sun in the seventh, then later in the eighth, after catching a fly ball, he threw it into the bleachers thinking there were three outs instead of two. He immediately knew what he had done, and put his hands on his head in remorse.

Obviously the batter was out, and a run scored on the sacrifice fly, but there was a runner on first who was awarded two bases when the ball went into the stands. However, there was no damage, as the runner was stranded on third at the end of the inning.

"I hadn't seen that one before," manager Lou PIniella said. "Do we need to go over math? One, two, three," Piniella said. "I don't know what else to say. I'm sure he's somewhat embarrassed by it. I've never seen it before. The only thing we can do is go over how many outs there are. You've got to keep your head in the game. Outside of that, look, it didn't cost us a run but it's embarrassing to the person it happened to."

To Bradley's credit, he nearly made an outstanding diving catch earlier in the game and went 2-for-4 with two RBIs.

And afterward in the clubhouse, he faced the media and owned up.

"I caught it. I exhaled, and I was still seeing purple and green spots because I was looking into the sun," Bradley said. "I sensed that something wasn't right. My heart was in the right place, I tried to give a souvenir. It was messed up."

And to the credit of Cubs fans, they tried to pick Bradley up. His very next at-bat, fans cheered him on as he worked a 3-2 count before lining out with a hard hit ball to left.

"The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong." --Mahatma Gandhi

It was a nice gesture on the part of the fans.

--Mike Huang

We have an exciting slate of interleague games for this homestand, as we invite the Twins, White Sox and Indians into the "Friendly Confines." We'll have tons of game-day photos all week and some sneak peeks at our next publications.

Soriano, LF
Fontenot, 3B
Bradley, RF
Lee, 1B
Soto, C
Fukudome, CF
Theriot, SS
Miles, 2B
Wells, RHP

Right-hander Kevin Slowey (8-2, 4.21 ERA) takes the mound for the Twins.

Bonus "Matchups"

Cubs special assistant Dave Littlefield on today's Twins starter:

"Kevin Slowey gives up hits but, simply put, keeps guys off base. He's not just a finesse guy. He has a solid fastball with some sink and a cutter that gets the ball going in different directions to the hitter."

You can get a full-page breakdown of the Twins by purchasing our Scorecard EXTRA, still just $2 at Wrigley Field.

With the 31st selection of the 2009 MLB First-Year Player Draft, the Chicago Cubs selected Cal outfielder Brett Jackson.

Jackson is an elite athlete who plays like his hair's on fire. Patrolling centerfield for the Cal Bears, the 6-2, 210-pound Jackson is strong and muscular, with above-average speed and excellent range.

While his arm is average at best, he will make up for a short arm with long effort, diving for liners, chasing down balls in the gaps.

"I didn't really model myself after any particular outfielder," Jackson said during a teleconference. "But I've been most compared to Jim Edmonds. Honestly, I try to model myself after a bunch of players. I like how Derek Jeter is respected and goes about his business. But I also like how Edmonds played."

Jackson hit .321 with eight homers and 41 RBIs and 11 steals for the Golden Bears this season.

However, Jackson also struck out a team-high 61 times in just 218 at-bats this year. Jackson believes his athleticism will allow him to overcome the strikeouts, and in fact, they were an abberation.

"I haven't been a big strikeout guy in my career," Jackson said. "But athleticism is one of my main assets....I continually work on all aspects of my game."

On his 19th birthday, Jackson travelled to Chicago and took in a Cubs game. He was playing in the wood-bat Northwoods League in Wisconsin and on an off-day decided to visit the "Friendly Confines."

"It was overwhelming," Jackson said. "You just feel the history there--and the fans are the best in baseball."

Jackson said he has always been a Cubs fan, but more so a fan of the mascot.

"Once a bear, always a bear," he laughed.

The Cubs also selected LSU second baseman D.J. LeMahieu in the second round and Owasso (Texas) High School left-hander Austin Kirk in the third.

--Mike Huang

 

The magnetic board is ready. Scouting director Tim Wilken, GM Jim Hendry, assistant GM Randy Bush, and all of the organization's amateur scouts have been packed into a room for over a week.

Yes, it's the signs of the First-Year Player Draft -- when tens of thousands of hours of preparation play out over 50 rounds. Many baseball people consider this their favorite time of year.

The Cubs select 31st this year, in a talent pool with little clarity beyond the first pick. Wilken firmly subscribes to the "best future big-leaguer available" theory, with his successful track record showing little preference between college and high school kids.

But Wilken does have a strong preference for athletes, and the farm system has improved significantly in that area since his first draft in 2006. Check out our "Farm Report" draft preview from the June issue of Vine Line by clicking on the thumbnail at right.

We'll have Wilken's comments on the first pick -- expected to be made around 7:20 Central --here on the Vine Line blog.

Other can't-miss coverage

The MLB Network and MLB.com will televise the first round tonight at 5 p.m. Central, and they have an incredible amount of coverage planned on their 2009 draft page. Scouting reports, interviews, analysis, video ... They have just about everything you could need.

Also, don't miss our draft blowout in the July issue of Vine Line, featuring reports on the Cubs' 2009 draft picks. We get exclusive access to the team's amateur scouting reports and profile the first 10 picks, based on our scouts' evaluation of their tools and makeup. It's true insider coverage that you can only get from Vine Line.

-- Sean Ahmed

Reed Johnson eyes the seagulls swirling above during Saturday's 7-0 win. (Stephen Green)