Jones takes boos, cheers in stride
Jacque Jones is a realist when it comes to his status with Cubs fans.
He was alternately booed and cheered in Tuesday night's 7-3 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies.
"It's going to be what it's going to be," said Jones, who has moved from right field to center during this season. "It's been a year and a half (with the Cubs). I mean, I know I'm not everyone's favorite here. Fine. I'm here to help this team win whether people like it or not. I'm just here to help this team. I don't really think much about it. I know what it is. It's just the way it is."
Jones had an RBI double in Tuesday's victory. He also lost a ball in the lights, and it wound up in the stands for a ground-rule double.
The 32-year-old Jones signed a three-year, $16 million contract with the Cubs before last season, but has never caught on the with the fans.
He his 27 homers in 2006 but had only 2 entering Wednesday. After nearly being traded to the Florida Marlins in June, Jones has become a contributor to the Cubs in the second half, something he says he doesn't find ironic.
"No, no, no; the season is two halves," he said. "Hopefully the roughest times are behind me. I never lost faith in my ability. I just want to go and help the team win. That's the reason I came here. That's the reason I signed here. I'll stand by that no matter what. I didn't come here to be a negative or a distraction. I came to help this team win."
Jones didn't appear affected one way or another Wednesday that the July 31 non-waiver trading deadline has passed.
"You know what?" he asked. "Things are going to happen, and people are going to do whatever they want to do. If they felt it was better for this team, they would have moved me. They could still very well move me if they want. It's not dead yet. I don't worry about it. If they move me, that's fine. If not, I'll be here to try to help this team win as many games as I can."
No peeking: Cubs manager Lou Piniella claims not to be an avid scoreboard watcher.
"I watch, but I don't watch a particular team, I'll be honest with you," Piniella said. "I do watch how the Red Sox are doing, how the Yankees are doing. I do watch the leaders in their respective divisions. I watch how Milwaukee is doing, but I don't focus on Milwaukee, just in general, sitting there between innings.
"It doesn't do any good, really. It's just more fun watching than anything else."
Wild, wild world: The Cubs entered Wednesday a half game behind the Dodgers in the wild-card standings. That's something else Lou Piniella insists he's not watching, at least not yet.
"Does it really matter?" he asked. "What matters is where we're at after Labor Day. Then, we can start looking at these situations more carefully. I'm telling you, the month of August separates a lot of teams. This is a tough month for everybody. Let's just get through this month here and do it series by series and game by game. After Labor Day, you can start assessing where you're at."