CubinNY

What? So as long as somebody is getting paid to do something, it justifies doing it? You aren't making any sense here. Wojo has the right to call Farns an idiot, and to even go beyond that in the way he calls him an idiot. But others have a right to call him a hack for how he goes about doing his job. Go ahead and criticize what he writes. I could care less about that. But don't criticize him for writing. There is a distinct difference between the two. Obviously you don't understand the difference. I am not a hypocrite because I'm not criticizing either of you for voicing your opinions. I don't agree with what you are saying and am voicing my opinion on that. Wojo is getting paid to write a column and his job description requires him to write his opinion on the current happenings of the sports world. He is getting paid to do that. As I said, if you don't like him then don't read him. It's not very complicated. Where in the wide wide world of sports has anyone said he shouldn't be allowed to write a sports column? Wholy smokes, I am having a hard time with this one.

Was it Farnsworth who refused to be interviewed unless he was compensated? I just assumed that it was Sammy, but now that I think about it, neither were quoted in Cubs Nation. Yes it was Farnsworth.

In the interest of not over quoting scocer10k, If wrong were a country your posts in this thead would be it's capitol. There is nothing hypocritical here, except what your posts. The Hack has I right to write whatever he wants But I don't have a right to criticize his writing That is your argument here, you know. Yours, HypocriteinNY

No credible journalist would write "If stupid were a country George W Bush would be it's capitol" and expect to keep his/her job. What little I've watched of Rome I haven't like so I don't watch, nor do I listen. That is the thing, if you are a sportswriter you are also a journalist. If you want any credability you stick to what is on the field not what is between someone's ears. Here is what the Richard could have wrote: After Farnsworth was roughed up yet again during the failed run to the wild card he probably sealed his fate with the Cubs when he had to go on the DL becuase he kicked a fan. No not the ones who were swearing at him. The one who attempt to cool him down after failing on the field. It probably wasn't the smartest thing he ever dd and may have cost him a lot of money. No columnist may have said it exactly like that, but many have said something along those lines. Do you even remember the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina and how often Bush was ripped for supposedly not responding quick enough? Have you ever heard of political cartoons? Sure they don't actually say Bush is an idiot in words, but they damn sure imply it. There is a thing in this country called freedom of speech. I don't have the freedom to call you an idiot on this board because I would get kicked off. But if I wrote a book, I could call you an idiot. That's what Wojo did. He wrote a book about the Cubs and his personal opinion about the Farnsworth injury was that Farnsworth was an idiot. If you don't like it, you don't have to read him. But don't criticize Wojo for writing what he feels in his book or in a column because he has earned the right to do so. He has earned nothing but his hack status. Sure he has the right to say whatever he wants and I have the right to criticize his writing. Freedom of speech works both ways, does it not? Yes freedom of speech does work both ways. But you can't criticize him for saying whatever he wants to. However, you can criticize his opinion. There is a difference between the two. I can criticize anything I want. That is what freedom of speech is all about. Sportswriters get off easy b/c most people don't think sports are important enough to really care about. Most of the opinon columns in sports are nothing more than a personal soap box on which to try and demonstrate how witty the writer is, and not about what is going on on the field. Next time you think about read an op-ed piece in the Sun Times and then compare it to something Mike Downey or Jay Marrotti writes in one of thier columns. You will see a difference.

No credible journalist would write "If stupid were a country George W Bush would be it's capitol" and expect to keep his/her job. What little I've watched of Rome I haven't like so I don't watch, nor do I listen. That is the thing, if you are a sportswriter you are also a journalist. If you want any credability you stick to what is on the field not what is between someone's ears. Here is what the Richard could have wrote: After Farnsworth was roughed up yet again during the failed run to the wild card he probably sealed his fate with the Cubs when he had to go on the DL becuase he kicked a fan. No not the ones who were swearing at him. The one who attempt to cool him down after failing on the field. It probably wasn't the smartest thing he ever dd and may have cost him a lot of money. No columnist may have said it exactly like that, but many have said something along those lines. Do you even remember the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina and how often Bush was ripped for supposedly not responding quick enough? Have you ever heard of political cartoons? Sure they don't actually say Bush is an idiot in words, but they damn sure imply it. There is a thing in this country called freedom of speech. I don't have the freedom to call you an idiot on this board because I would get kicked off. But if I wrote a book, I could call you an idiot. That's what Wojo did. He wrote a book about the Cubs and his personal opinion about the Farnsworth injury was that Farnsworth was an idiot. If you don't like it, you don't have to read him. But don't criticize Wojo for writing what he feels in his book or in a column because he has earned the right to do so. He has earned nothing but his hack status. Sure he has the right to say whatever he wants and I have the right to criticize his writing. Freedom of speech works both ways, does it not?

Behavioral conditioning through a history of reinforcement. I don't like it either. The reason for that is that when I was a kid every single one of my coaches would make us do push ups if we didn't wear our cap bill forward, unless we were catching.

He wrote it because Farnsworth is an idiot. He wrote it because Farnsworth got himself injured in the middle of the wild card race for kicking a fan. Farnsworth is an idiot because there is no reason to suffer a stupid injury like that late in the season. Completely uncalled for. I'm not trying to defend all of Wojciechowski's work, just this quote. No writer who is writing a book about baseball has the right to impune someone's intellignece that way. He could have written it any numbr of ways. Instead, he wrote what he wrote, because he thought it was funny and catchy. It was neither. Or he wrote it because Farnsworth refused to grant him permission to use his interviewws to sell his worthless book. I choose to believer the latter because the guy is a punk ass loser who can't string two thoughts together without trying to seem smart. How in the hell do you know that Farnsworth is stupid? Becuase he looks it? Becuase he kicked a fan after a poor outing? Becuase you gave him an IQ test. It was the same way with Patterson. It wasn't enugh that he was having a bad year. He also had to be lazy, uncoachable, and uncaring. This kind of crap has to stop. The sportswriters can get by with writing almost anything. That's the freedom that being a sports columnist gives you. Wojo can write whatever he wants. Do you get mad at Jim Rome when he rips people on national television? Because sports columnists rip players multiple times every single day. Do you get mad at people who rip our government and say George Bush is an idiot, because there is no difference in calling Bush an idiot and calling Farnsworth an idiot. None whatsoever. So don't single out sports columnists in this one. You have to point the finger at every single columnist, because they all do it. No credible journalist would write "If stupid were a country George W Bush would be it's capitol" and expect to keep his/her job. What little I've watched of Rome I haven't like so I don't watch, nor do I listen. That is the thing, if you are a sportswriter you are also a journalist. If you want any credability you stick to what is on the field not what is between someone's ears. Here is what the Richard could have wrote: After Farnsworth was roughed up yet again during the failed run to the wild card he probably sealed his fate with the Cubs when he had to go on the DL becuase he kicked a fan. No not the ones who were swearing at him. The one who attempt to cool him down after failing on the field. It probably wasn't the smartest thing he ever dd and may have cost him a lot of money.

He wrote it because Farnsworth is an idiot. He wrote it because Farnsworth got himself injured in the middle of the wild card race for kicking a fan. Farnsworth is an idiot because there is no reason to suffer a stupid injury like that late in the season. Completely uncalled for. I'm not trying to defend all of Wojciechowski's work, just this quote. No writer who is writing a book about baseball has the right to impune someone's intellignece that way. He could have written it any numbr of ways. Instead, he wrote what he wrote, because he thought it was funny and catchy. It was neither. Or he wrote it because Farnsworth refused to grant him permission to use his interviewws to sell his worthless book. I choose to believer the latter because the guy is a punk ass loser who can't string two thoughts together without trying to seem smart. How in the hell do you know that Farnsworth is stupid? Becuase he looks it? Becuase he kicked a fan after a poor outing? Becuase you gave him an IQ test. It was the same way with Patterson. It wasn't enugh that he was having a bad year. He also had to be lazy, uncoachable, and uncaring. This kind of crap has to stop. The sportswriters can get by with writing almost anything.

You are the man Bruce!

Steriods are controlled substances, unless you have a legitamite perscription they are illegal. The fact that they were not a banned substance is beside the point.

Not me, I want to lose. Neifi will save you though.

I'm not a real big fan of this guy. There is nothing new or inspiring about the article. Like most of the stuff he writes, it is unnecessary piling on. If I'm Prior I'm not having much fun either. There are already whispers that he is soft. Now he is soft and sullen. Way to kick a guy while he is down. On the ohter hand, Maddux is the old man who already has estabished himself, he can afford to be a wise ass. I will never forget that this guy wrote, (paraphrasing) If stupid were a country, Farnsworth would be the capitol. IMO, he wrote it b/c Farns wouldn't give him an interview for his book. To me the guy is a hack looking to make a name for himself in the Jay Marrottti, Mike Lupica school of journalism.

Lugo, Renteria, Tejada are 3 off the top of my head. Lugo is one that was on the trade block and a deal never got done. Of course, I wanted the Cubs to bring back Nomar. Nomar backing up Cedeno and sticking Nomar in RF if Cedeno worked out would have worked for me. Putting Nomar at 3b if Ramirez had any lengthy downtime would have worked for me. Lofton in CF at 1m instead of Pierre with Hairston platooning with him would probably be close to equal production. Mitre, Nolasco and Pinto might have gotten the job done for Lugo. Hill might have needed to be in the mix, but if they wanted Hill, getting Aubrey Huff while his value was low wouldn't have been completely out of the question, IMO. Hendry blew money this offseason like it was going out of style. He did not spend wisely, and if the Cubs don't do well this year, it should be both he and Dusty's jobs that it costs. You can all call me crazy if you want too but I would have gone with Nomar at SS with Ceeno backing him up.

The difference is those teams can afford to take on such a bad bat. The Cubs can't afford a black hole like Neifi in their already weak lineup. Boston has major holes in their lineup also. They're awful at SS,3B, and RF. And they're not overly strong at first. They led all of freaking baseball in runs scored last year. They'll be fine. They can handle a bad bat or two because the group as a whole is great. And RF is not awful for Boston. I'd take a platoon of Nixon and Pena (or either one individually) over Jones in a heartbeat. And their 3B situation has a chance to work out very nicely. Yeah that .254/.304/.492 is great from Willy Mo in right. Not to mention his 120 strikeouts to 20 walks. Corey Patterson will probably outproduce Pena this year. And Nixon's numbers are on a steady decline, plus he's injury prone. Nick, check out Willie Mo's numbers against left handed pitching. They are pretty good. Also check out Nixon's # against right handed pitching, also impressive.

If Dusty gives Cedeno 200 at bats and Ronny hits .210 in them, Dusty is going to lose his job because it's going to severely hurt the team. And he knows that. The idea of Neifi starting doesn't make me happy. I think it's absurd. But I think it's equally absurd to let a rookie with a sketchy minor league history flounder away for two full months in hopes that he'll get better. A team with realistic WS aspirations shouldn't have to deal with this crap. If the Cubs are floundering it won't be becuase the number 8 hitter is sucking. If the Cubs are doing well it won't matter. IMO, they have to give the kid enough ABs to see if he can make it. We all know what the alternaive is.

And where is Dubois now? It's not like Dusty benched him, we traded him and then he went on to tear things up. The Indians (who everyone here loves) sure haven't found a use for him. And I don't blame Dusty if he benches Cedeno. He's playing terribly right now, and there's no guarantee he'll bust out of it. I've always been concerned about him, since he really just has about one year of success at the plate after being awful for four seasons. This is Hendry's fault, not Dusty's. 1. ST NUMBER DO NOT MATTER. Every hitter goes into slumps. 2. It is Dubois all over again becuase Cedeno hasn't exactly been given a rining vote of confidence from the skipper. He will be looking over his shoulder every AB. Vet's like Neifi don't have that problem. 3. Cedeno has shown that he can hit. The question for him is pitch selection. 4. Neifi is terrible. The thought of him out there everyday shouldn't make Cub fan happy. The Cubs could maybe handle a black hole at the plate if they had strong enough offense from other positions. But the don't. That is Hendrys Fault. Not giving Cedeno at least @200 ABs on a consistent basis to show if he can hit will be Dusty's fault

That didn't work with Corey Patterson. Giving someone playing time does not insure progress. Giving Neifi playing time will ensure losing. Then giving Cedeno, if he is performing below Neifi's level, also ensures losing? I would rather have a guy hit .280 with a ..298 OBP than a guy hit .216 with a .230 OBP. I think you are assuming that any player will a better option than Neifi. Would like to see you support that argument in some way. It is completely irrelevent. If Cedeno doesn't produce the Cubs will get little production out of SS this year, unless they make a trade.

The thing is spring training numbers are meaningless. M&P the competition in the WL is closer to AAA then AA. Cedeno will be fine if he learnse to take a pitch. If I were Dusty that is what I'd say. Be agressive in the strike zone and leave everything else alone. Instead Dusty preaches being agressive and not getting behind in the count. I hope that Dusty and the Cubs give him time to adjust, even if they get off to a poor start. A poor hitting number 8 hitter is not the difference between a world seies contender and an also ran. Instead I envision Cedeno being scapegoated by Dusty and fans alike if the Cubs get off to a poor start. Then Neifi can come in and save the Cubs to another medicore record.

As opposed to the people who think Neifi should be nothing more than a back up. We'd rather have Cedeno, even if it means the cubs lose...not. This is Dubios all over again. I guess we'll see how he responds to the pressure. An 0-for could mean his job. Dusty doesn't have to say anything. It is kind of an unwritten rule, you have to perform if you are young or you will be gone. Although, veterans with long but mediocre track records get the benifit of the doubt. It's not just Dusty who does this, it is most of baseball.

:D :) :P

I do. Which is why I think someone who may know a social psychologist should get an opinion. Nothing personal, I just don't trust your opinion on this. I am a psychologist with a Ph.D. in the field. This issue is the deadest of dead horses, but I like Ublink's idea and think it well worthwhile to put your money where your mouth is, so to speak. My opinon is that chemistry is an outcome not a cause. Much in the same way "self-esteme" is an outcome and not a cause, no matter what the pop psychologists want to tell us. Win and you get people liking one another. Lose and people will start to gripe. Someone once said victory has a thousand mothers but failure is an orphan. Well, something similar can be said about chemistry except for at the consequence end instead of the antecedent end. Winning begets good chemistry and losing begets bad chemistry. Chemistry is a result not a cause, if it is anything.

MLB can do whatever it wants. MLB is a private club, protected by Federal legislation. The White Sox players were acquited in a trial and still got banned.

If the Cubs manage to go 7-7 during that stretch I will be ecstatic. My worry is that the clock has struck 12 for Glendon "[expletive]" Rusch. That's 8 games against horrible teams, I'd be disappointed with a .500 record. In which three are pitched by Rusch. Cincinnatii can hit the balll and Z doesn't go against them the second time around. I am hoping Maddux's spring numbers are indicative of a rebound but the margin of error is slim.

If the Cubs manage to go 7-7 during that stretch I will be ecstatic. My worry is that the clock has struck 12 for Glendon "[expletive]" Rusch.

The radio information is that there is no radio broadcast. That explains why I couldn't find it!! :( @#$ %&*&*# #@!@# I just got my XM last night!