CubinNY

Is it odd for GM to be running around in a golf cart scolding players? It seems odd to me.

I have no problem with Rose in the HOF for his baseball playing career. In fact, I think he should be in. However, he should never be allowed to coach or be in the front office of any ball club. It doesn't really matter that he bet on his team to win. What matters is that he bet. These guys who take the bets don't give a rip who the better is betting on, but he better pay up when he loses. If he doesn't he better find a way to make things right. Making things right includes giving inside information about players, including what they do on and off the field, injuries and what not. If not that then he better start point shaving, or doing dumb things to decrease the chances of his team winning. Betting is harmless for us, but for people directily involved in the sport it is very dangerous.

I don't see the humor. He just insults and complains, and repeats the same stuff over and over. Cubdom, cheap owners, Prior and Wood, Ozzie, blah blah blah. I really don't see the humor. Don't forget Bartman, always seems to find a way to say that too. I think we should have a cage match, moronoriti vs. Rome, to the death. I'd pay for that. If the winner also could never speak or publicly write again too.

Bolderdash. I like that word and it fits. The baseball diamond is an oasis where those things matter least.

I don't think that is the case at all. He could play 2nd base or one of the corner outfield spots. 2B, maybe. The Cubs are not going to sign him to play corner outfield though-they already have their future plan for the outfield set out. How is that? Pie and Soriano are two, but if you're thinking Tyler Colvin three, I like Colvin's upside. But he wouldn't bump A-Rod from a job, c'mon. Rodriguez, Soriano, Pie--yep, I could live with that. :-) It seems like they are content with Murton (after this year) to have the job full-time for at least 3-4 years. That kind of stuff is constantly in flux. Ruling out the acquisition of ARod because you think you might have a position settled for 3-4 years would be absurd. I still said they might acquire him for 2B-but they are not going to acquire him and pay him all that money for a position in which they already have players they are happy with. I'm happy with Derrek Lee but if the front office in St. Louis lost their minds and Pujols wanted out I think I would find a way to accomidate that. By the way, who says they are happy with either corner outfield spot? They are planning on platooning Murton and JJ is on the block. Pie is everybody's darling but he is no sure thing to be an every day player anytime soon. It's all hypothetical so I'm not going to get too worked up, but I think you are completely off-base.

I don't think that is the case at all. He could play 2nd base or one of the corner outfield spots.

I'm starting to hear Prior's name mentioned in the same sentence as Mark Fidrych. That's who I was thinking of. However, I think the Cubs are stupid if they let Prior go. I'm sure they are frustrated but one does not just lose talent. The Bird had arm injuries he couldn't come back from. Unless Prior is hurt and no one is telling us anything, he and Fidrych are not similar.

Do a little Taste of Chicago then see the Police. That would be a great weekend.

Two players peripherals right here-both are on NL Central teams right now, both were on the same team in the years these were taken from, and one is expected to be average while the other one is not: Year 1- A-6.17 K/9, 1.97 K/BB, 2.17 G/F, 1.42 WHIP B-5.27 K/9, 1.69 K/BB, 1.59 G/F, 1.37 WHIP Year 2- A-4.35 K/9, 1.45 K/BB, 1.59 G/F, 1.32 WHIP B-5.28 K/9, 1.81 K/BB, 1.43 G/F, 1.38 WHIP Here is year 3 for one of those 2 pitchers B-4.93 K/9, 1.51 K/BB, 1.61 G/F, 1.45 WHIP Based on those peripherals, what do you think of these two pitchers? Are they both destined to be pretty bad? Where is the third year for the other pitcher? I was going to post that and make a further point after someone evaluated those two on those peripherals that were stated. Is pitcher B better than Pitcher A on those numbers? How much better? Then the obvious answer is the one who has the worse secondary stats. The point that is lost in this not so original example is that every data set has an outlier or two. In other words, just because it happened once or twice doesn't mean it is likely to happen.

It's stupid opinons that do it for me, regardless of the spelling or grammar. And there are about at least 23 tellers of tall tales in this thread.

I don't necessarily disagree. It is an emprical question. I can't wait to see what the data look like for SD farm teams this year.

If he's having a lot of good starts where he gives up a few, and a lot of really terrible starts where he gets creamed, and getting an average of 4ER/7IP, can't the manager and pitching coach's decisions help the team a lot on days when he's having a terrible start? I mean, when you see he doesn't have it, you can pull him early, and if your long man is effective, you still have a chance to come back and win. Marquis got 200+ innings last year, but maybe he shouldn't have, and we should be looking at Duncan/La Russa as contributing to his problems by leaving him out there too long when he obviously wasn't effective. This is another reason why I wouldn't mind seeing Guzman end up winning the long man role. If Marquis has a tank start, you basically have another starter so there's no issue with pulling him in even the first 3 innings. I can think of at least two occasions where TLR left Marquis out to dry after a bad start. I think one of which was against the White Sox. I could be wrong, but I think they were trying to "give him a lesson" or something. A lesson for what I don't know.

If it can be improved upon over time, then how do you account for the improvement? I think you are giving far, far too much power to the pitcher and not enough to the hitter. It's been the Cubs mentality for a long time. In other words, a hitter doesn't earn a walk, he takes a walk. There is no evidence of that what so ever. When Sosa was great he laid off the outside, off-spped junk. Both before and after he'd swing at it. Just as some things can be learned they can be forgotten.

I disagree. I think the major sports realize the value and necessity of making the championships and playoffs readily available. I don't, espeially the superbowl.

Give them Miller and JJ for Lastings

I'm with the devil, though I'm going to wait until he starts facing better competition before I make any judgments. If he does really well in AA I will be extremely happy and a little suprized.

Thanks. I bet there were also long periods of silence punctuated by hip slang that Hendry didn't quite understand.

He was my favorite player too. I think I was 5 or 6 playing 3rd base in YMCA softball with wristbands up to my elbows. The only thing I was missing was an afro and the correct amount of pigmentation in my skin. I cried when he was traded.

anyone else notice whose batting gloves he's wearing? Nice bracelet on Felix.

IMO, they are largely overblown. I think he had a bad week and a half stretch where he had multiple error games, but was fine before and after. One of those games was a game I went to at Carolina. I believe he had three errors total that game, including two in one inning. I think it was rather ironic that on the day this question was asked he commits 2 errors. Maybe he reads this board and this thread got in his mind. :D Or I am the Cubs freaking jinx.

NIce pitching not so nice defense.

I'm not worried about Prior at all. Because this thread is about speculation, here is mine: Prior was just throwing BP to get used to being back on the mound in game conditions. I think I read a quote saying that and here it is: There are lots of pitchers who suck in ST becuase they are working on this or that and aren't really concerned with impressing the fans or the media. I am hoping Prior is one of them.

Because it's fun to say Fernando. What were the problems that Patterson had at second fielding wise? I'm just wondering since he would be a nice player to have at second and I've read about this possible switch to the OF. IMO, they are largely overblown. I think he had a bad week and a half stretch where he had multiple error games, but was fine before and after. I do think I've read he needs to work on his feet, but I think most of his errors were throwing, but I could be wrong.

I most adamantly. I would imagine Fuson does too. That's the entire point of being more patient.

It's because we so desperately WANT to be satisfied with this team, when the truth is that we never are, and likely never will be. Look at the Bears...as much fun as we had this year, there's still a lot of dissatisfaction with the team...the defense didn't play well against the Colts, or Grossman stinks, or the coaching doesn't adapt...it's just the nature of Chicago sports fans, if not all sports fans. And it's especially the nature of the internet sports fan. What I want to see is improvement or at least some semblence of follow through on the part of the coaching staff to make things better. With Dusty it was all denial and blame.