Rob Neyer is Funny and Other Highlights from his 4/27 chat..

[vance_the_cubs_fan]

Link

 

I found this exchange very funny.

 

Michael (Denver): Do you ever get unhappy phone calls from the Royals front office or ownership after you write columns pointing out that they're incompetent?

 

SportsNation Rob Neyer: No. I think if they knew how to use the Internet, they wouldn't be in the mess they're in.

 

Then there were some exchanges about Jacque...

 

Mike (Chicago): How much longer are me and my fellow Cubs fans going to have to suffer watching Jacque Jones look absolutely terrible at the plate before we see Felix Pie?

 

SportsNation Rob Neyer: Well, considering that Jones just started a two-year deal, it might be a while. But the fans and the writers will eventually demand a change, and Jones will be either benched or traded. I'd guess that Pie hits the lineup in June.

 

And so someone pointed out that Jones has a three-year deal and not a two year deal...

 

Bill (Berkeley, CA): Sadly, Jacque Jones got 3 years, not two. I feel bad for him getting dumped on by Cubs fans. I wish the Cubs had Jim Hendry's picture displayed once a game so fans could boo the person who agreed to overpay Jones.

 

SportsNation Rob Neyer: Three??? What on earth was Hendry thinking? Is that, all by itself, a fireable offense?

 

And then to Hendry's defense comes Drew.

 

Drew (FL): Rob, Hendry also brought in Murton, Aramis Ramirez, DLee in trades. Dempster in a FA signing, along with Eyre and Howry... give some credit!

 

SportsNation Rob Neyer: Your point is a good one, Drew. All of those moves were smart, and nobody gets all of them right. This one was just so predictably awful, though...

[Ding Dong Johnson]

Good stuff.

[RynoRules]

SportsNation Rob Neyer: Your point is a good one, Drew. All of those moves were smart, and nobody gets all of them right. This one was just so predictably awful, though...

 

Damn straight.

[badger1679666666]

I still can't believe he got 3 freaking years. If Jones bolted to KC so what? How did we get the LOWER hand on negotiations with Jones? Especially when KC was the alternative.

[Banedon]

I still can't believe he got 3 freaking years. If Jones bolted to KC so what? How did we get the LOWER hand on negotiations with Jones? Especially when KC was the alternative.

 

There are Cardinal fans that swear the Cards were after him too...though I don't know what the difference between Jones and Encarnacion is.

[Andy]

I still can't believe he got 3 freaking years. If Jones bolted to KC so what? How did we get the LOWER hand on negotiations with Jones? Especially when KC was the alternative.

 

There are Cardinal fans that swear the Cards were after him too...though I don't know what the difference between Jones and Encarnacion is.

At the moment, 36 points of Avg (in favor of Encarnacion), 5 points of OBP (Encarnacion), and 80 points of slugging (Jockstrap).

[Wilson A2000]

I still can't believe he got 3 freaking years. If Jones bolted to KC so what? How did we get the LOWER hand on negotiations with Jones? Especially when KC was the alternative.

 

You know that he won't be here three years. They just gave that to him to sign him.

[goonys evil twin]

I still can't believe he got 3 freaking years. If Jones bolted to KC so what? How did we get the LOWER hand on negotiations with Jones? Especially when KC was the alternative.

 

You know that he won't be here three years. They just gave that to him to sign him.

 

I still don't understand this line of thinking.

 

A) Why did they feel the need to overpay to convince him to come? Are their negotiating skills and the "lure of playing for Dusty" completely worthless?

 

B) The Cubs do not hand out money willy-nilly. They don't eat contracts. Sosa was the exception to the rule because they desperately wanted to get rid of him for more than just baseball reasons. They aren't going to cut Jones, they aren't going to pay for him to play for somebody else.

 

C) He sucks so freaking much that it's going to be very difficult to trade him.

 

D) Jones is actually exactly the type of player Hendry loves, and he's here for the duration. People have been talking about Hendry and Jones for a long time. It was predicted long ago. The talented athlete who is past his prime and doesn't have much in terms of real baseball skills is prototypical Hendry stuff. Jim wanted him. Jim likes him. Jim is going to keep him. Jim thinks he did a good thing by signing Jones. He didn't shrug his shoulders and settle for Jacque, thinking to himself, "Well, I'll be able to get rid of him in a year or two."

 

Teams don't sign guys with the intent of trading them later. This isn't the NFL where you sign 7 years deals knowing full well the guy will only be there for 4. Jones has an albatross contract. He's going to be a Cub, and hurt the Cubs, for a long time.

[Cubskmill30]

The only rationale I have for Hendry signing jones is what happened with Corey. I think he felt that because he was rushed, he turned out to be a huge bust. So, I guess he was trying to bring Pie up very slowly so the same mistake with Corey won't repeat itself. I'm not trying to defend the move because three years for that piece of crap in left is absolutely terrible. I'm just trying to show the only logical reason for signing jones (althought it still doesn't make any sense...

[KatJ]

I'm just trying to show the only logical reason for signing jones (althought it still doesn't make any sense...

 

Exactly. It would have been a better deal to give Burnitz another year on what they paid him last year. Hell, even $7 mil for a one-year-deal on Jeromy would have been money better spent.

 

Not that I am a big Burnitz fan, but this Jones acquisition is positively loony. Maybe someone in JJ's circle knows where skeletons are buried in JH's closet.

[soccer10k]

Michael (Denver): Do you ever get unhappy phone calls from the Royals front office or ownership after you write columns pointing out that they're incompetent?

 

SportsNation Rob Neyer: No. I think if they knew how to use the Internet, they wouldn't be in the mess they're in.

 

The Royals insult was hilarious. Gotta love it.