CubinNY

Ok, as a Cubs fan you have to love the smile and joy with which he plays the game. However, Morel has been slumping badly for most of the 2nd half of the season. But now he has 2 big HRs in two days and has 16 HRs in about 3/4 of a season. He is capable but not outstanding in both the infield and outfield. He seems like he may have more value to the Cubs than as a trade candidate. I see him as a middle-class Ben Zobrist type who they can plug in multiple places almost every day rather than locking him into one position. I think he is very useful and valuable moving forward.

It's so funny that every 2 weeks we have the same conversation with people pretending that a game with Wesneski(and Alzolay, and Hughes, and Rodriguez) pitching well with Morel hitting a home run is catastrophic because they'll have marginally worse odds at getting a good player in the least predictable draft(that's now lotteried!). Agreed. There is always a shiny new toy in the draft, no matter where one is drafting.

Thank you, Navin! Go Smokies!

So LIV is basically doing an infomercial on Fox Sports 1 for their shitty version of golf. They are PAYING to have their tourney televised. Supposedly the people at Fox nixed it until Murdoch's son told them they had to do it.

It will undoubtedly take some adjustment but look at tennis. It's not even a thing anymore. All the stuff you mentioned is not relevant. Tennis is also a stationary, two dimensional zone with clear in/out lines that you can see. It doesn’t adjust based on who is playing. The width of the zone in baseball is the same but the height is different for every batter. I’m firmly pro robo-umps but it is more complicated than tennis. It is more complicated, but the point is that people will adjust. As long as the technology is up to the task, they should do it tomorrow.

No I think the Sox plan is to convince the fanbase that all they need is a new manager to get them back on track, not spending more money in FA. If he can spend $4m for a Bochy/Maddon type and keep the stands adequately filled, its better than spending $20m a year on like Trea Turner to get the same return on attendance. Bochy would be a great choice for them. For that reason, I could easily see them choose Maddon.

I don't really get having challenges instead of just going full-automated. In all sports, I am generally in favor of being able to challenge bad calls, but the actual review process sucks. Having the game pause for the review isn't fun. There are even times when I have wondered if I would rather just go back to no reviews (especially in basketball, or when football first started reviewing every touchdown). But with balls and strikes, I feel like it is the one situation where you can just immediately have the call be correct and we won't have the need for challenges. The thing I'm worried about is the unintended consequences of robo-umps. I'm absolutely deaf ears on "the human element" but some pretty smart people have voiced some valid trepidations about jumping over to the automated strike zone in one fell swoop. - The super-imposed zones on TV aren't actually totally accurate, getting the actual calls takes a little bit of computer processing time - Umps don't actually call the rulebook zone. It's more oval than square, if we jump straight to the rulebook zone what does that do? Or do we want to codify a more practical zone? - Relatedly, the zone expands/contracts based on the count and the score. Does eliminating that all at once break anything? - Does completely eliminating framing do weird/undesirable horsefeathers to the catcher position? We definitely need to move towards automation. But I think an intermediate step is a good idea. Though I 1000% agree it needs to be fast. No sauntering over, putting a headset on, waiting 90 seconds, disseminating the info, etc. Just like flash something on the scoreboard or give the 2B an earpiece and appeal to him a la check swings or something. I don't watch tennis but my understanding is it's pretty quick and painless there? It will undoubtedly take some adjustment but look at tennis. It's not even a thing anymore. All the stuff you mentioned is not relevant.

Don’t know if this is true

"If MLB ever went to a fully automated ball-strike system, it would eliminate a skill MLB umpires have spent years (decades in some cases) perfecting. And the first month of the transition would assuredly be rocky, with plenty of discussion of how the strike zone has changed, highlights of the strangest ball and strike calls and plenty of disruption." Who cares?

He’s got easy power. Just a normal swing and boom!

How does the Giants' secondary grade out? They need to find some holes to exploit.

Given their track record, I'm bullish on the Cubs getting the most out of two good/better-quality pitchers. I don't want a 35-year-old Miley type, but short of that, sign me up.

I don't think that at all. I didn't think that when everyone said it this offseason. I don't think that now. I think it's the exact opposite, actually. Those 3 know their OL isn't an ideal pass blocking line. They know their WRs aren't very good (there were rumors yesterday that they will be active at the trade deadline to add a WR). They know Fields is learning a new offense. Setting him up for failure would be letting him get beaten down by dropping back 35 times per game with this personnel. I know I have complained about the lack of passing attempts, but they are perfectly justified in them. They have won 2 of the 3 games by running the ball like crazy. They are clearly geared to pound the ball on the ground, and they are playing to literally their only offensive strength right now. I know everyone wants Fields to sink or swim, because everyone wants an answer NOW if he is a franchise QB or not. But I don't think the 3 in charge (GM, HC, OC) are concerned about that. They are trying to win games now, develop Fields along the way, and find out by the end of next year if he's the guy or not. I really don't understand how everyone was convinced this team would be bad and knew the offense would struggle. They are bad and struggling and now everyone is upset because it's "too bad". If Fields was going 14-22, 200 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT per game, guess what? They wouldn't be bad like we all knew they would be (and the personnel says they should be) before the season. It's like the Ray Rice video. "Oh he punched a girl in the face, he's suspended". Then the video comes out, "oh he hit her really hard" Well, that's what a punch is. It's really hard. IDK why people needed video to see it was bad. I don't know why we needed actual game film to see how bad the talent on this offense is. Sure I'd like Fields to do his part better, but this regime is delusional if they are watching this and saying, "see, he's not the guy. Can't elevate this poor talent, let's move on" Ok. Design plays to his strengths then. They aren't doing that. They aren't developing whatever talent he has and when he's been given a little opportunity, he's not delivered. They do not look like they are trying to develop a QB. At all.

I know it's not Holmesian analysis, but I think Poles/Eberflus/Getsy have their collective minds made up on Fields. And that's that.

If I looked into your posts from last year, would I find you saying the same things about Steele? I have no idea, but you would see the same thing about Thompson and Adbert.

Thompson and Adbert are relief pitchers. Thompson may have the makings of a top-notch closer. There is no reason to force them into roles they cannot handle/don't have the skill set for.

I have bad news for you about *checks notes* about 96% of MLB players Yeah well, most of them aren’t so open about and your made up statistics are for horsefeathers.

Was that the Mark Hatley era? Mark Hatley then Jerry Angelo then Phil Emery then Ryan Pace. To think that Angelo was the best of the bunch. And still may be after Poles is finished.

Wesneski is pud and I can’t bring myself to root for him. He’s got a Texas patch on his glove. I hope the Cubs trade him. He looks like every horsefeathers I’ve ever met.

I think he's a future closer.

#1 sleeper in the organization. How’s his defense?

0-0 in the third. Stroman on the bump

Would you look at the Cubs!

Good stuff!

You apparently missed much of the 2012 and 2013 Cubs.