Bruce Miles on McPhail

[RynoRules]

I think Giles is a realisitic possibility if for no other reason than we have a long history of signing over-the-hill OFs to long-term deals. I guess I'd rather have Damon.

[cubfan1955]

Sign: Giles, Damon, Furcal, Ryan, Burnett.

Do not re-sign: Lawton, Patterson, Burnitz, Hollandsworth, Nomar, Neifi or Macias (pick one), Williamson.

Re-sign: Dempster, Walker.

 

Let Murton, Pie and any other pups fight amongst themselves for a starting OF gig, to play with Damon and Giles everyday. Cedeno is my SS. My gonzo bullpen is Wood, Dempster and Ryan. My rotation is Z, Prior, Burnett, Maddux and whoever wins amongst Hill, Williams and Guzman.

 

I win 100+ games with this team.

 

Just one question. Why would you sign Furcal and then make Cedeno your SS?

[biittner77]

There's the kicker. They've made a lot of money. They are definitley successful in that department.

 

This is why Andy's job is safe, and his thinking is key.

 

I truly believe that Andy really wants to win with the Cubs. And I think the Tribune is very willing to do what is reasonably necessary to win.

 

The problem lies with the old school mentality of the baseball decision makers. They are all about giving responsibility to good baseball people. And in this sport, "baseball people" is a euphemism for members of the good ole boy network. There is no new thinking amongst baseball people, because the primary focus of baseball people is the past. Stick with conventional wisdom, and you won't be led astray. This safe mindset generally keeps you away from 90 loss seasons. But when you take no chances you generally are incapable of 100 win seasons.

 

At this point, the only hope the Cubs have to win under this regime is for Hendry to realize his mistakes and change his ways. Of course that is possible, it's just not very likely. It's either that, or luck. And no Cubs fan is dumb enough to count on luck.

 

I was thinking about the players that Hendry has brought in. Lee, Walker and Ramirez are the types of high OBP, high OPS players that any of the moneyball teams would love to have. Lawton- if you look at his career numbers- used to get on base. Barrett doesn't but he's a catcher and that's a take what you can get situation.

 

The free swingers were either already here (Patterson) or the best available options (Nomar, Burnitz). Which begs the question: is Hendry more progressive than we think or did he luck into those acquisitions?

[cubbyvirus00]

There's the kicker. They've made a lot of money. They are definitley successful in that department.

 

This is why Andy's job is safe, and his thinking is key.

 

I truly believe that Andy really wants to win with the Cubs. And I think the Tribune is very willing to do what is reasonably necessary to win.

 

The problem lies with the old school mentality of the baseball decision makers. They are all about giving responsibility to good baseball people. And in this sport, "baseball people" is a euphemism for members of the good ole boy network. There is no new thinking amongst baseball people, because the primary focus of baseball people is the past. Stick with conventional wisdom, and you won't be led astray. This safe mindset generally keeps you away from 90 loss seasons. But when you take no chances you generally are incapable of 100 win seasons.

 

At this point, the only hope the Cubs have to win under this regime is for Hendry to realize his mistakes and change his ways. Of course that is possible, it's just not very likely. It's either that, or luck. And no Cubs fan is dumb enough to count on luck.

 

I was thinking about the players that Hendry has brought in. Lee, Walker and Ramirez are the types of high OBP, high OPS players that any of the moneyball teams would love to have. Lawton- if you look at his career numbers- used to get on base. Barrett doesn't but he's a catcher and that's a take what you can get situation.

 

The free swingers were either already here (Patterson) or the best available options (Nomar, Burnitz). Which begs the question: is Hendry more progressive than we think or did he luck into those acquisitions?

 

Best post on this thread. good point.

[TXCubsFan]

There's the kicker. They've made a lot of money. They are definitley successful in that department.

 

This is why Andy's job is safe, and his thinking is key.

 

I truly believe that Andy really wants to win with the Cubs. And I think the Tribune is very willing to do what is reasonably necessary to win.

 

The problem lies with the old school mentality of the baseball decision makers. They are all about giving responsibility to good baseball people. And in this sport, "baseball people" is a euphemism for members of the good ole boy network. There is no new thinking amongst baseball people, because the primary focus of baseball people is the past. Stick with conventional wisdom, and you won't be led astray. This safe mindset generally keeps you away from 90 loss seasons. But when you take no chances you generally are incapable of 100 win seasons.

 

At this point, the only hope the Cubs have to win under this regime is for Hendry to realize his mistakes and change his ways. Of course that is possible, it's just not very likely. It's either that, or luck. And no Cubs fan is dumb enough to count on luck.

 

I was thinking about the players that Hendry has brought in. Lee, Walker and Ramirez are the types of high OBP, high OPS players that any of the moneyball teams would love to have. Lawton- if you look at his career numbers- used to get on base. Barrett doesn't but he's a catcher and that's a take what you can get situation.

 

The free swingers were either already here (Patterson) or the best available options (Nomar, Burnitz). Which begs the question: is Hendry more progressive than we think or did he luck into those acquisitions?

 

Best post on this thread. good point.

 

I think his minor league acquisitions - Murton and Moore - lead me to believe that he is paying more attention to OBP than is generally acknowledged.

[goonys evil twin]

There's the kicker. They've made a lot of money. They are definitley successful in that department.

 

This is why Andy's job is safe, and his thinking is key.

 

I truly believe that Andy really wants to win with the Cubs. And I think the Tribune is very willing to do what is reasonably necessary to win.

 

The problem lies with the old school mentality of the baseball decision makers. They are all about giving responsibility to good baseball people. And in this sport, "baseball people" is a euphemism for members of the good ole boy network. There is no new thinking amongst baseball people, because the primary focus of baseball people is the past. Stick with conventional wisdom, and you won't be led astray. This safe mindset generally keeps you away from 90 loss seasons. But when you take no chances you generally are incapable of 100 win seasons.

 

At this point, the only hope the Cubs have to win under this regime is for Hendry to realize his mistakes and change his ways. Of course that is possible, it's just not very likely. It's either that, or luck. And no Cubs fan is dumb enough to count on luck.

 

I was thinking about the players that Hendry has brought in. Lee, Walker and Ramirez are the types of high OBP, high OPS players that any of the moneyball teams would love to have. Lawton- if you look at his career numbers- used to get on base. Barrett doesn't but he's a catcher and that's a take what you can get situation.

 

The free swingers were either already here (Patterson) or the best available options (Nomar, Burnitz). Which begs the question: is Hendry more progressive than we think or did he luck into those acquisitions?

 

Best post on this thread. good point.

 

I think his minor league acquisitions - Murton and Moore - lead me to believe that he is paying more attention to OBP than is generally acknowledged.

 

Moneyball is not about high OBP/OPS players, it's about exploiting inefficiencies in the market, getting value on the cheap. The Cubs on the other hand are terribly inefficient. They've got a $100m payroll playing like a $50m payroll team. They do an awful job of efficiently filling out a roster and utilizing that roster. They are the perfect trading partner for teams like Oakland because they're more than happy to overpay for mediocre or worse production.