CubinNY

Why would you say that? If nothing else is on, I'll put on the Dodgers game on Extra Innings just to listen to Vin. His voice is just so... baseball. I miss the days when Vin would do national broadcasts. he's easily one of my all-time favorites. I think he's terribly overrated. It could be because I don't like the one man gig though.

Fantastic.

I don't agree with the dude's sentiment at all, but that doesn't mean this thread isn't completely out of control. They've been pitching Lee away for most of the season. He's taken those and hit singles with them. No big deal. I'd like for him to hit for more power, but I'd like Jennifer Aniston to quit dating rockstars and actors and check me out, too. The thing I worry most about Lee is that he seems to have slider bat speed.

So are ancient stats and medieval stats because a double is always better than a single, a triple is always better than a double, and the HR is Caesar, King, or President b/c it always results in a run.

I'm down with this one. Oh, I hate the Marlins.

There's no guarantee that if Dunn takes a whack at a pitch early in the count he's a) going to make contact or b) it's going to not result in a putout. I'm sure there are times where Dunn would have hit a HR or a base hit had he made contact earlier in the count but it stands to reason that the times he would have made an out would vastly outnumber the times he wouldn't have. In other words, If he makes contact on pitches earlier in the count his BA in those situations would surely go down. The reason it is so high is likely because he's getting pitches he can mash. What I'd like to see is some analysis of his swings in those counts (swings = times he makes contact + times he does not). If he's not swinging early I think your point has some merit, but if his swing % is not significantly less.... My opinion is that Dunn knows his limitations, like any great hitter. He's a low contact masher with a very good eye for pitches that he can drive.

"Bail was set at $5,000" "Not guilty, your honor" "Meth, it's not just for breakfast anymore." "That mullet looks good, where did you get your hair cut?" "It's only the front tooth." "She deserved it." "More cushin' for the pushin'" "No, it's Hep C, not Hep B!"

By that time the Cubs and Brewers could have the playoffs clinched. Then it becomes a pissing match. Who do the Cubs want to face in the NLDS and is it worth going balls out to get it? It's more about setting up your rotation for the playoffs. I would rather just have home field. Those two points aren't necessarily mutually exclusive but they can be if Lou goes for best record.

In doing a little research for my last post I noticed that the Cubs have a run differential of +160. The Next closest is Boston with 128. That is just sick. The Nats have a -150. That shows just how good this team has been up to this point.

By that time the Cubs and Brewers could have the playoffs clinched. Then it becomes a pissing match. Who do the Cubs want to face in the NLDS and is it worth going balls out to get it?

With their schedule, i wouldn't put it past the Brewers to finish that way. 40 games left means what, 18 starts for Sabathia? It's too early yet, but if the Cubs keep the hammer down I could easily see the Brewers content with the WC. However, that pre-supposes that the Cardinals will fade and they haven't yet. If the Cubs are up by 5 or 6 by mid September and the Cardinals have faded I think the Brewers will rest CC and Sheets. Like I said a month ago we have to hope that the Brewers and Cardinals stay close to each other and tread water. It means that the Cubs can rest some guys while the Brewers cannot. C.C is already at 180 IP and Sheets at 160. I'd love to see Yost burn them in the heat of an August/September push for the playoffs. Maybe he could get Braun to come back early and aggravate whatever is ailing him. Same thing will go for the thee teams in the East and two in the West.

Cox does have one heck of an eye for talent. Chipper Jones was HIS DECISION. He also help signed Latino's like Furcal, Lopez, etc, etc. The problem with Cox is that he can't coach up the talent he finds.... Come on. Chipper was the number 1 overall pick and spent less than two years in the minors. Only a really dumb person would have passed on Chipper.

I'm officially very concerned about Z.

How in the hell did you notice that? Do you just randomly add up numbers you see? rob is actually rain man With substance abuse issues.

The thing I like is that the Cubs have all the pieces that you need to weigh things on your side and give you better odds of succeeding -Great top end starting pitching -Very good bullpen -Balanced patient offense But even still, we see teams with all those crap out in the first round. The Angels have been doing it for years. In fact, look at the 2007 Angels and tell me that team doesn't remind you a little bit of this year's Cubs team. the angels were 9th in the AL in walks last year and middle of the pack in OPS... that's the big difference between last year's angels and this year's cubs; the angels' offense wasn't patient and good pitchers were able to exploit that. nate silver created something called "secret sauce" - basically, what he found was that playoff success was most likely for teams that were proficient in three areas: * A power pitching staff, as measured by normalized strikeout rate. * A good closer, as measured by WXRL. * A good defense, as measured by FRAA. a lot of people don't like BP's fielding metrics, and i'm not a big fan either. still, boston was the runaway winner of the secret sauce totals last season, but colorado ranked last among the playoff teams - their K-rate was the lowest in the majors and their relief pitching wasn't good either. the wholly mediocre cardinals were last in special sauce in 2006, and they won the WS. still, the analysis has some merit i think - power pitchers would seem to be more likely to beat good hitters than guys who get by on guile. here's how this year's playoff contenders rank in special sauce: cubs: 20 red sox: 20 angels: 24 white sox: 30 devil rays: 31 d-backs: 32 mets: 33 phillies: 35 brewers: 36 marlins: 39 twins: 50 even if you don't like FRAA, you have to think that the cubs are a very good defensive team. they're 3rd in baseball in defensive efficiency; the only teams better are oakland and tampa. so yeah, the cubs are favored over most of the teams that will make the playoffs, but their chances of winning the world series are probably no better than 25%. Is it better to have lower or higher secrete sauce numbers?

Cram it down your cram hole Jeff.

With a lot of players and agents, its just as much the city as the team and money. Especially Boras likes his big ticket guys in big ticket towns like New York and LA. Granted, if The Brewers were to offer up a massive deal, a player would take it, but if that player were offered similar deals with Milwaukee and New York or LA, a lot of players would chose to play in that big market. Look at Beltran. He made it clear that he felt more comfortable playing for a small market team, but Boras wasnt having that, and he ended up in New York. What small market team was offering the money the Mets did? It's not as if every client has gone to NY, LA, and Chicago. The reason guys have wound up there when they have is because those 6 teams are 6 of the richest. Boras plays the bad guy so his clients can get rich and be loved at the same time. He and Maddux have good cop/bad coped it to the tune of hundreds of millions of dollars. I remember when every single Cub fan was pissed at Boars for keeping Maddux from signing early in the offseason of 2004, like Boars was Buffalo Bob and Maddux was Howdy Doody. Maddux kept Maddux out trying to get a better offer. if Sheets wants to stay for less in Mill. he will. If he wants the money he won't.

The thing I like is that the Cubs have all the pieces that you need to weigh things on your side and give you better odds of succeeding -Great top end starting pitching -Very good bullpen -Balanced patient offense But even still, we see teams with all those crap out in the first round. The Angels have been doing it for years. In fact, look at the 2007 Angels and tell me that team doesn't remind you a little bit of this year's Cubs team. Just stop this and enjoy the ride. The Cubs have a dominant team with likable players. They are really soapdropping good. Wait and see what happens before starting to obsess about the down side of the playoffs. It's like Royko wrote, "An optimist looks at the glass and says it's half full. A pessimist looks at the glass and says it's half empty. A Cubs fan looks at the glass and says when is going to spill."

Show me where it's a negative having that experience, that's what I'm looking for. I don't think it can be a negative. Experience is the best teacher, often. I would question whether Edmond's experience in the playoff would benefit anyone else though. Edmonds experience playing in SoCal may benefit the Cubs greatly if they face the LAofA in the WS. That could be very important. Really? The fact that Edmonds was awful in San Diego for a month would help Edmonds out? Or playing Anaheim 9 years ago would? I have no clue how either of those things would help him in playing 4 games in Anaheim. I admit I was reaching when I explained how it could be a negative with him giving advice from his perspective when the advice would be utterly useless to others. But I don't see how that's any more of a reach than thinking Edmonds can say here's what I do against him, you should do this too being a help. I'm talking about how the ballpark plays, It's the same field Edmonds played. I don't think his experience will help anyone in the batter's box facing K-Rod or any pitcher when Vlad is up.

I've stated many times that Dunn should be utilized as a run scorer and not a run producer. He is not a good hitter in any split. One of my biggest problems with him is the amount of RBI's he has not via the HR. I do think he has a lot of value if used correctly, and that he is a detriment if used incorrectly. My biggest fear would be him hitting #3 or 4. RBI is a function of guys on base.

I'll heap the blame on him. It's only taken 15 years for the baseball world to figure this guy out. He should have to give a portion of his paycheck to Barry Bonds for almost singlehandedly making the Giants good for all those years.

Show me where it's a negative having that experience, that's what I'm looking for. I don't think it can be a negative. Experience is the best teacher, often. I would question whether Edmond's experience in the playoff would benefit anyone else though. Edmonds experience playing in SoCal may benefit the Cubs greatly if they face the LAofA in the WS. That could be very important.

It's the short series. Luck plays a really huge role in a short series. AJP and the third strike was nothing but luck. Many times though, the best team does win. The only way to give yourself a shot is to be as strong as you can. Luck favors the prepared and the more talented. I'd love to see a best of 13 WS.

I hate Bob Howry.

That's the scouting report on him going into the season. He's done fine defensively this season though - I'll be surprised if he has to move from the position. I still think his upside is Aramis Ramirez II. I'd love that.