CubinNY

I don't think Lee has magically become a great player. I'd expect that he will regress toward his career norms next year. However, he is still a top five first baseman. On the other hand, if Hendry can get back Tracy, Web, and Quentin for Lee and a couple of throw ins. I'd be singing his praises.

Good bye Miami, hello New York or Boston. And hello pile o`money. Next up Becket. Then in a few years Dontrell.

[Off Topip] I wish the Cubs had the stable of young position players that the d-rays have. I watched a bit of the game yesterday. Gomes almost hit for the cycle, Huff had a mamoth HR. Man, they are loaded with young talent. If they could get any pitching they could be a force in a few years.[/Off Topic] I could see Sosa in Tampa if he would take a 15 million dollar pay cut next year.

It's like groundhog day with the Cubs. Sammy leaving early, Farsworth kicking a fan, Corey going to see a shrink (discussed). I use to make fun of the way the Brewers and Reds were ran. Not anymore.

When Soldiers the 21 visited the walled city of April in the last season they were smyted heavily by Lujan for he was large of brain and even larger of brawn.

That's cool, Ryan better have started his recruiting. Meh. I think that's overpaying. If this report is true, it sounds like the Cubs are going to improve their defense at the expense of their already bad offense. The Cubs aren't going to go far with that strategy. And I really don't want an OF of Jacque Jones, Craig Monroe and some CF. Oh, I would like a Bob Howry-signing. I will be very surprised if they don't resign Walker. If the story is true here is a future DL list for the Cubs Nomar Wood Burnett Rodriguez If true the Cubs get older and worse. I can handle getting worse if it means getting younger (light at the end of the tunnel), but getting worse and older at the same time is too much for me to take.

Eureka! Not making the playoffs the last two years has been all Walker's fault. Release the bum. Anyone have Pokie Resse's agent's number? If so please forward to JH. Thanks. BTW> What is a soft .300? Is that like a soft round of 4 under par in golf?

So, you're stealing my bits now? The check is in the mail.

That's not much of an argument, IMO. Do you really believe those three guys would have been difference makers on this team? Farns is an overgrown frat boy who cannot be counted on. Merker acted like an unprofessional baby last year w/ his stupid and insubordinate attacks on Stone. And do I really have to show you Sosa's stats? Please show me the evidence you have that Hendry was responsible for getting rid of Stone. And Dusty earned the right to fail last year and a second chance this year b/c he got a recently horrendous team within 5 outs of the WS. However, I agree that his time has now come. Sorry for not being more clear. Hendry got rid of those people becuase they were percieved to be trouble makers. Both Merker and Farnsworth have been good bullpen arms that the Cubs could have used this year. But that is largely beside my point. My point is that Hendry cleared the way for Dusty this year. This year was the make or break year for Dusty. And to paraphrase JC, in Dusty the Cubs busted. And Hendry is responsible for Dusty.

I have to agree with goony. In additon, I'd like to say that one cannot criticize Baker without also tacitly criticizing Hendry. Hendry got rid of Sosa. He got rid of Fransworth. He got rid of Merker. He got rid of Stone. He has done everything except get rid of Baker.

I don't think Neifi is an everyday player. I don't think he is worth $1 million. However, I think he has become a symbol for everything that is wrong with the way Dusty Baker manages the ball club. I think many times the vitriol directed toward Neifi is misplaced. He is a competent back up. I think he should serve the Macis role. But that is the problem, I don't think Dusty thinks like me.

I think you raise some good questions. But IMO this is done outside of baseball. I don't think the owners cared but I don't think they were complicit. I think they can be held accountable through neglagence rather than anything overt. I also think too much is made of steriods (at least in baseball). I think their main benefit to baseball players is recovery time and muscle plasticity much more so then helping a medicore player become a good player or a good player a great one.

This type of crap comes up everytime a majorly bad event or election happens. These bastards are writing a new chapter to The Prince.

I hate you,because you are correct. I thake that back, I hate myself. No, I take that back, I hate the Cubs No, I hate the Cubs management. Ah, anybody got any Zanex?

Mr. Miles is a lot like Batman. We throw up the Bruce signal and he comes. In all seriousness, thanks a lot for sharing the inside information. We really appreciate that you choose to post here.

I don't know anything about what Murton believes. But here is what I would say if I was a callup rookie trying to make a good impression. "Dusty has been great. I mean he has told me how he was going to get me into games and for the most part he has done it. I appreciate the fact that he has let me get myself settled and not, you know, thrown me in the deep end so to speak." If I'm a callup rookie with Murtons numbers here is what I think, "I'm better than Hariston and I'm better than Hollandsworth, and I should be playing everyday."

Sorry, I don't want to hijack this thread but does anyone know were to find/remember where is the thread where we made preseason predictions. I've been looking for about an hour and can't find it. I think I was pretty close I think I had NL East- Brave NL Central- Cards NL West- Padres WC- Phillies AL East- Yankees AL Central- Twins Al West- LAA WC- Boston If my memory is correct I will only be off on AL Central and NL WC.

Well then Dusty should stop playing craps with the Cub players. He seems to be crapping out a lot. However, it is not as simple as that. Dusty didn't roll the dice. He made a decision and stuck with it even when it showed to be not in the best interest of the team. He is a piss poor excuse for a manager. You can rationalize all you want, but the rationalization will not change the facts.

Oh so that's the point... So just more nitpicking over craptacular and crap sandwich. (See Holla v. DuBois for more) You can certianly say that for Hollandsworth but not for Dubios. We cannot redo history so we will never know what kind of player he would have been this year if given a real chance to succeed. Everytime he started his job was on the line. No margin for error, no 0 fors. So one cannot argue with you, as someone else pointed out, that is the beauty (if you want to call it that) of your and Dusty's logic. It is not falsifiable, but it is illogical. We'll see if DuBois is any good over the next 3 year. If not, I'll rip all those who thought he'd be good, and treat them like a bunch of Dusty's and Neifi's. :o I'll try to type slow. It does not matter one iota what Dubios does for the rest of his career. What matters is it is Dusty's job to put the team in the best position to win. Hollandsworth was a known entitiy. An entity who was likely to be worse than medicore if given the everyday job. Dubois had very good numbers in every level of minor league ball. Yet when Hollandsworth demonstrated his value, he still started. That is all that matters.

Oh so that's the point... So just more nitpicking over craptacular and crap sandwich. (See Holla v. DuBois for more) You can certianly say that for Hollandsworth but not for Dubios. We cannot redo history so we will never know what kind of player he would have been this year if given a real chance to succeed. Everytime he started his job was on the line. No margin for error, no 0 fors. So one cannot argue with you, as someone else pointed out, that is the beauty (if you want to call it that) of your and Dusty's logic. It is not falsifiable, but it is illogical.

Look, I'm not saying that this quote changes anything about Dusty Baker. I still would like to see him go. I disagree with a lot of his decisions. But I think this quote is pretty solid evidence that this thread is another example of us being overly eager to find things to criticize him for. Isn't it enough that he bats guys with terrible OBP at the top of the order? Isn't enough that he failed to rally his team to victory when Wood and Nomar returned? Isn't it enough that he isn't the best at managing a bullpen so that guys stay sharp? Isn't it enough that he overvalues major league experience? Do you really have to twist his words or assume the worst about what he says to whip him some more? I think it is classless of us, and I think were better than this, but so what? That's just my opinion. What matters is that the assumptions made about Baker in this case are inaccurate unless you believe that Murton had a metaphorical gun to his head when he said the above quote. What did you expect Murton to say? "Hey, Dusty is as stuborne as a jack ass. All I've done is hit since I got here and the ignoramus plays Hollandsworth over me. What a buffone. He has to be one of the worst managers for bringing up you position players in the modern era of baseball." Dusty is Murtons manager for crying out loud.

??? how can you say that? if he used steroids (and he probably did), he's a cheater. i don't know how you can say he's the best player of our life time if he's known to take steroids. I know how you feel becuase I feel the same way. If he used steroids he was taking an unfair atvantage. I still think he is the best baseball player of the last 70 years. I wish I could say otherwise.

From what I've read neither is the GM.

Best baseball player of our life time (last 70 years), steriods or no steriods. Tough guy to like off the field I know I've posted this anecdote before but it still amazes me. When I lived in Florida I took my wife to see SF play the Marlins (or Marleenz as the locals say it). Anyway, in his first at bat he hits a BROKEN BAT HR right down the right filed line. Aside from seeing Prior get hit on the elbow eariler this year, it was the most incredible thing I've ever seen in person at a ballgame.

. This is not a personal attack, but referencing some defensive stats can make one look quite foolish and deminish any credibilty from his or her other posts. Makes me wonder if some watch games or just read box scores Yes because statistics can be deceiving and our perceptions of reality are never wrong. Makes me wonder if some still use flint to start a fire. This is not a personal attack