CubinNY

No that is not how it "should be". What if Neifi is on a hot streak for three weeks in meaningless games in March and Walker or even worse, Cedeno struggle? There are ten years that support that Walker is the better player over either Neifi or Hairston. A few dozen at-bats in meaningless games in March don't make a difference. With very few exception Spring Training is not a time to win jobs.

The guy is growing on me. Also Aramis may skip the WBC. Woo whoo! http://chicagosports.chicagotribune.com/sports/baseball/cubs/cs-060221cubsbits,1,1267322.story?coll=cs-home-headlines

http://www.dailyherald.com/sports/cubs.asp Great pop cultural reference Bruce! I just hope Demp can find the plate more often then not

In terms of the history of the game. Is he the best shortstop to ever play? Will moving to 3rd affect his status? Is he among the best of all time at any position?

My hope is that he isn't in a Cub uniform on April 1.

You forgot the part where he was hulked up on flaxseed oil those two seasons. Goodbye in advance, Barry, and thanks for not ruining the most hallowed of all baseball records. Thanks also for charging the mound on Prior when he dared throw somewhere near your 10 pounds of body armor. Hulked up on flax seed oil or not, the mere fact that he has hit so well and with so much power makes him the best player of our lifetime. he is up there with Ruth, Mantle, Gehrig, and Mays on the Mount Rushmore of Baseball. One of the things that most people don't or won't understand is his bat speed. He has always had incredible bat speed. I've never see a guy wait as long as he does and still hit the ball with authority. People can say whatever the want about him, but he is the best pure hitter I've ever seen. Sometimes it is hard to seperate the person from the baseball player. Yeah it's hard. Hitler was a very effective leader, should he win any awards? Barry Bonds (the person) doesn't deserve any kind of reward. JMHO. Comparing Bonds to Hitler is awesome. Just awesome!

You forgot the part where he was hulked up on flaxseed oil those two seasons. Goodbye in advance, Barry, and thanks for not ruining the most hallowed of all baseball records. Thanks also for charging the mound on Prior when he dared throw somewhere near your 10 pounds of body armor. Hulked up on flax seed oil or not, the mere fact that he has hit so well and with so much power makes him the best player of our lifetime. he is up there with Ruth, Mantle, Gehrig, and Mays on the Mount Rushmore of Baseball. One of the things that most people don't or won't understand is his bat speed. He has always had incredible bat speed. I've never see a guy wait as long as he does and still hit the ball with authority. People can say whatever the want about him, but he is the best pure hitter I've ever seen. Sometimes it is hard to seperate the person from the baseball player.

I have paid for the MLB.TV subscription for 2 years. For last year I got both the radio broadcast and TV broadcasts. Unless the radically upgrade the feeds I would not buy MLB.TV. The picture is choppy and unless you have a really powerfull computer it will freeze or go black and you will have to reload. In addition, sometimes you will get the other team's broadcasters and they can be brutal. I am talking to you Joe Buck and Al Hirbosky. I don't know what the service is like in Pakistan so if I were I would get the radio package. I have not had any trouble with it at all and you get to listen to Pat and Ron every game as an added bonus.

If this is a dreadful outfield, then what would you call last year's? Dreadfuler?

I have to get XM

Or Solomon Torres

That guy is a horse's ass

for me that was 2003. I had such high hopes for 2004.

http://chicagosports.chicagotribune.com/sports/baseball/cubs/cs-060215sosaretire,1,4278510.story?coll=cs-home-headlines I know there is already a thread in transactions but I thought I'd start one here to talk about his career. To me the beaning of Sammy was the watershed mark of his dissent into oblivian. He really was never the same player afterwords. I know it coincided with other injuries and possibly the withdraw of steriods as well. I will always appreciate Sammy. He really was a gladeator.

The Street & Smith preview had Neifi starting at 2nd with Walker on the bench! :x

4 Days. Someone (mod?) will have to update the countdown for me after today as my wife and I will be out of town on a job interview, old man winter willing.

http://chicagosports.chicagotribune.com/sports/baseball/cubs/cs-060209cubsfanview,1,5143141.story?coll=cs-cubs-headlines 1. Juan Pierre 2. Jacque Jones 3. Derrek Lee 4. Aramis Ramirez 5. Michael Barrett 6. Matt Murton 7. Ronny Cedeno 8. Todd Walker 9. Pitcher

five days 1,2,3,4,...fif.

Under a week 6 days

Care to give me 60:1 odds? if so I will bet you 10$. Need I remind you they finished ahead of the Cubs last year and have improved just as much (on paper)? I guess I do.

Just for the record. I am behind the Cubs all the way. I want Pierre to have a career year. I want Cedeno and Murton to play like ROYs even if they are not eligable. I want the pitching staff to be heathy and productive. I will root for Dusty. Go Cubs!

9th in runs scored in the 16 team NL. That's bad. Below average is bad. 4th in OPS doesn't come close to telling the whole story. The OBP side of OPS should weigh more heavily than the SLG side. The Cubs are good with the SLG, but absolutely terrible with the OBP. This offense is not among the worst of the worst, but it's far from good at the same time. It's an enormous problem. That's one (entirely pessimistic) way of looking at it. Take away the time that Aramis Ramirez missed, and the team would be above average in runs scored. Maybe even top 5. Pessimistic? It's the god's honest truth. Just the facts, no spin. It's tough to score runs when you don't get on base very often, and the Cubs don't get on base often enough. You're the one throwing around ifs. Yeah, if everything works out perfectly the Cubs would win every game. I live in the real world where the Cubs have had a real run scoring problem for several years that is tied to an OBP problem, which is entirely based on their inability to draw walks. But no, let's all pretend that's just pessimism and not the truth. It is pessimism! And that's fine, but that's what it is. And I'm well aware of the OBP problems, but they have been addressed to a degree and I'm 100% confident that the team OBP will be a lot better than what it was last year. I'd hardly say that the offense is an "enormous problem" like you originally stated. The team had the second best batting average in the league (tied with the Cards) and the 4th best OPS last year... and it has been upgraded. I know, I know, their OBP was bad. Well, OBP isn't everything. This offense is fine. Runs scored is what matters and the Cubs were well below average in that department. That is not pesimism, that is fact. Maybe they have upgraded with Slap Nasty in CF but they have either stayed the same or down graded at every other position offensively. How anyone cannot see that is beyond my capacity to understand.

Way below.

One week