It begins.... Spring Training pics.

[seanimal]

Darwin Barney is my favorite and I love him and hope he's a Cub forever.

 

I'm interested to see what sort of contraption you come up with to watch games focusing on Barney at 2B while at the same time, preventing your eyes from seeing the Thing just a few dozen feet to his left.

 

http://media.screened.com/uploads/0/5892/323121-headcrusher_706230_super.jpg

[Soul]

Hah. 8.5 for the reference.

[Guest]

GAME PICS!!!!1!!!

 

http://www.chicagotribune.com/media/photo/2012-03/68565557.jpg

http://www.chicagotribune.com/media/photo/2012-03/68566904.jpg

http://www.chicagotribune.com/media/photo/2012-03/68565546.jpg

http://www.chicagotribune.com/media/photo/2012-03/68565552.jpg

http://www.chicagotribune.com/media/photo/2012-03/68565542.jpg

http://www.chicagotribune.com/media/photo/2012-03/68565543.jpg

[Guest]

http://www.chicagotribune.com/media/photo/2012-03/68567480.jpg

[Little Slide Rooter]

Darwin Barney is my favorite and I love him and hope he's a Cub forever.

 

I'm interested to see what sort of contraption you come up with to watch games focusing on Barney at 2B while at the same time, preventing your eyes from seeing the Thing just a few dozen feet to his left.

 

I can't be alone in the no emotion regarding Darwin Barney, can I? If he's as good a fielder as they say, and can at least be Ryan Theriot with the bat at the 8 spot, I'm OK with his existance while he's nice and cheap. If someone better comes along, by all means move Barney to the bench.

[DivineBovine]

@BleacherNation: #Cubs: Darwin Barney is Growing on Dale Sveum and Other Bullets http://t.co/901cCSPy

 

With this and the bunt tourney, I'm beginning to think that Dale Sveum is going to become everything people feared that Ryne Sandberg would be, but I'm willing to give it a shot. Welcome to Dale Ball.

 

 

Exactly what I was thinking. Bunting tournaments, running out everything, fundamentals. Wasn't this what people criticized Sandberg for? Maybe Theo's rejection of Sandberg had more to do with him being Sandberg and less to do with his ideology.

 

I'm also willing to give it a shot. Fundamentals can't hurt. Especially when guys aren't rampantly juicing and jacking 50-60 HR's any more.

 

I say let the GM worry about sabermetrics. I'm OK with the manager pushing fundamentals.

[SouthSideRyan]

Why would Theo turn down Sandberg because of who he is?

[PriortoTheoIhadWood]

Why would Theo turn down Sandberg because of who he is?

 

Too much noise when they're trying to lay low for a while. People would expect things from Sandberg that you just won't expect from a guy named Dale who came over from the Brewers (albeit a playoff Brewer team).

 

Edit: From the tidbits link - Dave McKay sounds like a good add to the coaching.

[javy knows my name]

@BleacherNation: #Cubs: Darwin Barney is Growing on Dale Sveum and Other Bullets http://t.co/901cCSPy

 

With this and the bunt tourney, I'm beginning to think that Dale Sveum is going to become everything people feared that Ryne Sandberg would be, but I'm willing to give it a shot. Welcome to Dale Ball.

 

 

Exactly what I was thinking. Bunting tournaments, running out everything, fundamentals. Wasn't this what people criticized Sandberg for? Maybe Theo's rejection of Sandberg had more to do with him being Sandberg and less to do with his ideology.

 

I'm also willing to give it a shot. Fundamentals can't hurt. Especially when guys aren't rampantly juicing and jacking 50-60 HR's any more.

 

I say let the GM worry about sabermetrics. I'm OK with the manager pushing fundamentals.

 

It's been repeated ad nauseum that Sweum is known for some out of the box thinking, i.e. using the same wacky shifts that people love Joe Maddon for.

 

Lip service, I'm telling you. He is not, nor does he wish to be, Ryne Sandberg.

 

 

To expand a little bit, I think there's a pretty big push to placate the media to a degree that the Cubs have never really done. They are bracing for a rough re-building season where they may feel it necessary to save face to an extreme degree via media anecdotes to offset the team's struggles. I think perception is a really, really big part of just about everything they've released (purposefully, at least) to the media. We have a shitty team for a year or two, but dammit, Dave Kaplan will love them because they play the game the white way and their lazy hispanics will be RUNNING BALLS OUT, etc.

[woodchip2153]

Lip service, I'm telling you. He is not, nor does he wish to be, Ryne Sandberg.

 

i don't think it is. never bunting is just as bad as bunting too much. the threat of the bunt can open up wholes in the infield and if they play too far back we need to take advantage. this isn't some meathead rant, it's game theory and it can be very advantageous.

[SouthSideRyan]

Lip service, I'm telling you. He is not, nor does he wish to be, Ryne Sandberg.

 

i don't think it is. never bunting is just as bad as bunting too much. the threat of the bunt can open up wholes in the infield and if they play too far back we need to take advantage. this isn't some meathead rant, it's game theory and it can be very advantageous.

 

Yep, that's what he said. Never, ever bunt.

[KingCubsFan]

I don't really have a problem with a manager stressing good fundamentals like baserunning, bunting, defensive positioning, etc. A manager is the most worthless head coach in all of sports, but there are limited aspects of the game that they can affect,and those are three of the biggest (pitcher usage is the biggest). The problem isn't when a manager stresses fundamentals, it's when he tries to build his team around them and ultimately causes management to acquire players that fit that image or plays inferior players because they fit that image.

 

We know Theo isn't going to acquire a bunch of Juan Pierres to placate Sveum, and Sveum hasn't indicated he wants to lead the league in bunts. A lot of this probably stems from him (a) watching the Cubs as the Brewers bench coach and seeing on a yearly basis how bad they are at these things, and (2) realizing that the Cubs don't have a lot of talent, so they'll have to execute the simple things if they want to be competitive. It doesn't hurt him that the media has embraced this crap.

[woodchip2153]

Lip service, I'm telling you. He is not, nor does he wish to be, Ryne Sandberg.

 

i don't think it is. never bunting is just as bad as bunting too much. the threat of the bunt can open up wholes in the infield and if they play too far back we need to take advantage. this isn't some meathead rant, it's game theory and it can be very advantageous.

 

Yep, that's what he said. Never, ever bunt.

 

and i wasn't exaggerating to make a point.

[DivineBovine]

Why would Theo turn down Sandberg because of who he is?

 

 

Perhaps Theo didn't like the idea of hiring a Cub icon as it might compromise his ability to exert his influence. Perhaps he just felt that Sandberg wasn't very bright, or wasn't great manager material. Perhaps he didn't like other aspects of Sandberg besides his views on fundamentals and bunting- ideas that were strongly criticized by many people here.

 

That's all I meant. What's so hard to understand about that?

[Backtobanks]

Why would Theo turn down Sandberg because of who he is?

 

 

Perhaps Theo didn't like the idea of hiring a Cub icon as it might compromise his ability to exert his influence. Perhaps he just felt that Sandberg wasn't very bright, or wasn't great manager material. Perhaps he didn't like other aspects of Sandberg besides his views on fundamentals and bunting- ideas that were strongly criticized by many people here.

 

That's all I meant. What's so hard to understand about that?

 

And maybe Theo didn't want to share the spotlight.

[Guest]

Why would Theo turn down Sandberg because of who he is?

 

 

Perhaps Theo didn't like the idea of hiring a Cub icon as it might compromise his ability to exert his influence. Perhaps he just felt that Sandberg wasn't very bright, or wasn't great manager material. Perhaps he didn't like other aspects of Sandberg besides his views on fundamentals and bunting- ideas that were strongly criticized by many people here.

 

That's all I meant. What's so hard to understand about that?

 

And maybe Theo didn't want to share the spotlight.

 

Oh for crying the [expletive] out loud.

[TruffleShuffle]

Why would Theo turn down Sandberg because of who he is?

 

 

Perhaps Theo didn't like the idea of hiring a Cub icon as it might compromise his ability to exert his influence. Perhaps he just felt that Sandberg wasn't very bright, or wasn't great manager material. Perhaps he didn't like other aspects of Sandberg besides his views on fundamentals and bunting- ideas that were strongly criticized by many people here.

 

That's all I meant. What's so hard to understand about that?

 

And maybe Theo didn't want to share the spotlight.

 

yeah that's probably it, not that sandberg's baseball ideas are just about a polar opposite from epstein's.

[Guest]

Why would Theo turn down Sandberg because of who he is?

 

 

Perhaps Theo didn't like the idea of hiring a Cub icon as it might compromise his ability to exert his influence. Perhaps he just felt that Sandberg wasn't very bright, or wasn't great manager material. Perhaps he didn't like other aspects of Sandberg besides his views on fundamentals and bunting- ideas that were strongly criticized by many people here.

 

That's all I meant. What's so hard to understand about that?

 

And maybe Theo didn't want to share the spotlight.

 

yeah that's probably it, not that sandberg's baseball ideas are just about a polar opposite from epstein's.

 

Now he's going to tell you that somehow sound fundamentals are the polar opposite of Epstein's too.

 

Because what we most of us hate about Sandberg as a potential manager is that he emphasizes playing fundamentally sound baseball, after all.

[Brian]

Rizzo has hops

 

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-0Y6rYwTkXgg/T1WQYeySTII/AAAAAAAAAwI/X53s_TntqGc/s1600/4x6-72-BOS-st12-rizzo-01.jpg

[javy knows my name]

Yess love him already.

[Cubswin11]

Didn't see this Sveum quote about Jackson anywhere.

* Brett Jackson hit solo homers in each of the intrasquad games, and belted a three-run homer on Tuesday. Is there a chance the highly touted outfielder could make the big league team?

 

“I don’t think you want a kid like that to not play,” Sveum said. “He hasn’t played a full year in Triple-A. He’s either going to make the team and play everyday or he’s going to be in Triple-A.”

 

Good to hear the sentiment is that when his time comes to play in MLB he will be given an opportunity to start. With Sveum saying you don't want a kid like that not to play and then following it up with saying he hasn't even had a full AAA year yet, it's more an indication he will start there to play everyday coming out of Spring. But I am looking forward to him being a starter at some point this year on the MLB club.

[javy knows my name]

Didn't see this Sveum quote about Jackson anywhere.

* Brett Jackson hit solo homers in each of the intrasquad games, and belted a three-run homer on Tuesday. Is there a chance the highly touted outfielder could make the big league team?

 

“I don’t think you want a kid like that to not play,” Sveum said. “He hasn’t played a full year in Triple-A. He’s either going to make the team and play everyday or he’s going to be in Triple-A.”

 

Good to hear the sentiment is that when his time comes to play in MLB he will be given an opportunity to start. With Sveum saying you don't want a kid like that not to play and then following it up with saying he hasn't even had a full AAA year yet, it's more an indication he will start there to play everyday coming out of Spring. But I am looking forward to him being a starter at some point this year on the MLB club.

 

That was the absolute perfect way to answer that question

[SouthSideRyan]

Why would Theo turn down Sandberg because of who he is?

 

 

Perhaps Theo didn't like the idea of hiring a Cub icon as it might compromise his ability to exert his influence. Perhaps he just felt that Sandberg wasn't very bright, or wasn't great manager material. Perhaps he didn't like other aspects of Sandberg besides his views on fundamentals and bunting- ideas that were strongly criticized by many people here.

 

That's all I meant. What's so hard to understand about that?

 

But only your first explanation applies to what you're saying. You said it in the context of Swaym being as manager dumb as Sandberg was.

[Little Slide Rooter]

1st round of cuts made: McNutt, Ha, Carillo, and Mota.

[imb]

Man, we have the best home uniforms in baseball, and probably the worst road uniforms. SOMEONE FIX THIS