Cubzfan64

I'm usually not into the "dusty bashing" parties that I see here alot, but today is different - Dusty is going to ride the same horses over and over again until he's ridden out of town on them. His whole idea of "respecting" veteran ballplayers and using that as the excuse for stubbornly continuing to toss them out there day after day is growing very thin on me.

Happy Birthday - it's mine today as well.

Just a quick case in point on Manny and something that has been typical - expecially recently in his play. 10th inning of last night's game, Damon led off with a HR to put Boston up by one run. Renteria got on 1B and Manny hit a groundball to the SS that looked like it would be a DP. The SS had to go deeper into the hole than it first looked like, and his throw to 2B took the 2B off the bag allowing Renteria to be safe - the throw from 2B to 1B took the 1B off the base which allowed Manny to be safe - all good things right??? Well, on the replay, Manny did nothing more than jog down the 1B line when he hit the ball - and I don't mean what we seem from Aramis now and then - Manny was literaly JOGGING down the line. The Red Sox went on to score another run in that inning which they needed to win because TB scored one in the bottom of the 10th. THAT'S the kind of crap play that Boston has put up with from Manny for a few years now. Manny is NOT a team player imho - and he only seems to put forth an effort when he's happy - when he's not, he isn't always vocal about it, but you can see it in his lack of effort. I still think it would be interesting to have Manny in LF for the Cubs, but in the unlikely event that it would happen, we need to be prepared for the WHOLE package that is Manny Ramirez, and there's plenty of bad that comes along with the good.

I think it's a mistake to label a player as a platoon player without giving them the chance. I agree that Murton could be a very cheap good alternative for LF and allow us to spend our money elsewhere in 2006 - but that won't happen if he isn't given the chance to play against both lefties and righties. I realize we're in the wildcard hunt (although I'm not particularily impressed with our chances), but it's not like anyone else is tearing it up in LF forcing Murton to sit on the bench. I've given up on understanding Dusty's reasoning behind not playing some of the younger guys more often.

Red Sox game over - no additional news on Clement. He's in the hospital tonight and we'll hear more tomorrow. Nixon did something to a muscle in his side on a swing - no real information on it, but the announcers are worried this could be one of those things that doesn't heal and he'll be out for awhile. Last of all - Baez got RIPPED by the Red Sox - first he blew a 2 run lead and the save in the 9th, then he gave up 2 runs in the 10th and took the loss. It was really weird to see Jeremi Gonzalez pitching for the Red Sox followed by Joe Borowski for Tampa Bay. Gonzalez got smacked around by Tampa, but Joe looked decent - I didn't notice his speed but he got 3 ground outs. Here's hoping Matt Clement comes back soon and healthy.

Will do Serena, and thanks for getting this all on one thread - I feel for any pitcher who gets hit in the head, but since Matt was a well liked Cub until recently, I thought people would want to hear about him. No new news on NESN yet during the game - I expect there will be some announcement after it's over if they even have any new news at all. I plan to watch the whole game so I'll try to update if I hear anything. Just as an aside - I wish College baseball (maybe even high school and below) would switch to wooden bats - I realize they aren't ML hitters, but there's no reason imho to subject young kids to potential damage from line drives when there's no neccessity. Latest update now from Red Sox - Matt has spoken with the trainer and is in good spirits - CAT scan was negative and he never lost consciousness. He'll stay overnight in hospital for precaution. Best news you can expect at this point. I imagine he's gonna have one whopper of a headache if nothing else. I hope he's ok - he's a good guy and having a really nice year so far.

I was watching the game live on New England Sports Network (NESN) - looked away for a second and when I looked back I thought there had been a line drive hit over shortstop into left field - then I saw Clement lying on his side/back and realized it must have hit him. Dunno if there are any clips yet, but imagine a line drive coming right back at his head and in slow motion at the last second he turned his head slightly to the left to avoid it in the face and gets literally smacked off the right side of his face/head - he dropped to his back immediately with his hand on the side of his head.

Wily Mo doesn't impress me very much. I don't think this organization needs another "work in progress." Of all the possibilities out there, I'd like to see us get Huff more than anyone else.

No major news yet, but they did an excellent job of "stabilizing him" as best they could and get him off the field in a real hurry. He looked like he may have opened his eyes a bit as he was taken off - announcement just made that he was conscious and alert when he was taken off. The ambulance took him to the hospital which was only 3 blocks away apparently. Man - seeing it happen in real time was really bad - he didn't look good at all. Latest news is: He was aware of what happened to him, conscious of where he was and alert when he left the field. That's good if nothing else. Many of us have been "boxed" hard in the ear - considering that's where the ball seemed to hit him (had to be 90mph +) it's good news that he was alert. I'll relay more if I hear anything - probably won't be much news till the game is over.

Matt Clement was taken off the field on a stretcher in the 3rd inning (4th?) after being hit in the head by a line drive. He dropped immediately and they called for an ambulance right away and took him off in a neckbrace and immobilized He isn't moving very much at all although the camera showed his hand moving slightly and he was breathing. I'll update more as I hear more. The announcers said it looked like it hit near his ear. Also - Trot Nixon was taken out of the game after apparently tweaking his back during a swing. update - saw the replay - he got nailed on the right side of the head/face (probably near the ear) and he dropped to his back immediately and didn't move for quite awhile. The ball was hit so hard it ended up in left field. Man, I hope he's ok!!

I didn't hear that, but THAT'S exactly why I started this thread with the question. I honestly think that if Neifi is still "performing well" according to Dusty's opinion, he has a strong loyalty to him for some reason and isn't going to pull him out. I truly believe Nomar is going to either have to be exceptional in the few times he plays early on, or Neifi is going to have to do into some recognizable slump that Dusty won't be able to ignore. I imagine if Nomar is healthy and Dusty doesn't play him more than 50% of the time, Mr. Hendry may have something to say to him about that - even if he IS the manager! If nothing else, it's going to be interesting when Nomar comes back!

The Boston media IS definitely relentless and is MUCH more irritating to players than I ever heard the Chicago media be. In the 2 years I've lived near Boston, I would say Manny is at his best when he's having fun playing - whatever that takes. I'm not so sure he's a "team" player as a couple of you have pointed out - I think he's more a "Manny" player - his comments about giving up some salary to keep Pedro is more because he and Pedro were buddies - as he is with Ortiz and Millar. Manny is definitely a below average left fielder - if you've watched him as many times as I have now, you'll see that. He DOES play the ball well off the wall, but I've seen him have quite a few "gaffs" in left field where he missed routine fly balls or misplayed balls into more bases. His arm is strong, and reasonably accurate - that said, I do agree with those of you who say his offensive production makes up for the downsides of his defense. He has quite a few moments where you get the feeling he just isn't "into the game" and the Boston media rips him constantly for his lack of hustle, his instances of "calling in sick" and/or asking for days off just when he doesn't seem to feel like playing for whatever reason. I get the feeling Manny is one of those rare guys who has just an amazing talent at hitting a baseball, but I don't think he "loves" the game of baseball - he does it because he's really good at the offensive part and can make significant $ for that skill - he puts up with the rest of the crap associated with the game only when he's having fun - when the game becomes too much of a "job" for him, he tends to lose interest. All those things said, adding him to our offense for 1-2 years would be huge for us - as much as many of you hate Pujolz, it would be like adding his offense to the middle of our order. You just have to learn to accept the downsides of Manny in order to get the upsides.

From what I've heard, Manny has been put on waivers at least 2 of the last 3 offseasons but nobody is willing to take on his ~$20 mil per year salary. Boston would probably eat some of the money, but my guess is both sides continue this love/hate relationship until he either retires at the end of his Boston contract or moves on to another team. Manny can be a lazy butt both on offense and defense and he's likely less than an average fielder, but for the right combination of players, I think it might be interesting to throw him into the offense in Wrigley for a couple years. I doubt it will happen, but it would probably be fun.

Gak! Naturally! I don't get ESPN Classic any more. Guess I'll have to be satisfied with whatever coverage "they" decide to show. Thanks, everyone, for the quick responses. They're very much appreciated. You might check MLB radio (their schedule doesn't go that far yet) - they may broadcast it and you can at least hear the audio. I e-mailed HOF. They wrote back advising that the entire ceremony will air live on ESPN Classic, and also on ESPN radio, 1280 AM WODT here in New Orleans. So, like you say, I can at least listen. The HOF also said that there's supposed to be a condensed, one-hour version of the ceremony airing on ESPN2 at 10 p.m. (I guess that's ET). But, when I check the TV listings, there's some sort of racing listed at that time. :( Semi-good news, though, is that there will be a DVD available, with delivery in mid-November, for $28.90, including S&H. The video will feature a behind-the-scenes look at HOF Weekend, with highlights of the ceremony. Highlights will be infinitely better than nothing. Thanks again everyone for the input. My thanks to you also for the info. on the DvD - that's something I might want to add to my collection!

I hope you are all correct - I just see Dusty using the excuse that Neifi has "earned" the right to play most of the time and that Nomar should be slowly worked into the starting lineup - and I just see that "slowly working him into the lineup" never really happening. I may be wrong - I just think unless Nomar excels immediately, Neifi will continue to get at least 50% of the playing time.

Honestly what do you think Dusty will do with Neifi when Nomar is finally determined to be "healthy" enough to come up to Chicago? I find it hard to believe that Dusty will just give the job back to Nomar - if I had to guess, I would say Nomar gets < 50% of the playing time after he comes back. I suppose alot depends on how his rehab goes in Peoria, but I just don't see Dusty "dissing" his pal Neifi by taking the SS job away from him.

It remains to be seen how Kerry's arm will react both to the 15 days of rest as well as to pitching in relief (short stints but more often than every 5 days). I look for him to have surgery for sure in the offseason and I hope he does it after the last game - whether that be regular season or a WS win :-) (or in his case perhaps a save :-P). Because of his mechanics and past wear on his shoulder maybe it isn't such a stupid idea to get him into the mindset of becoming a closer - I have no idea how hard it is physically as compared with starting every 5th day, but it might be worth considering. I wish him the best - I hate seeing that potential damaged though :-(

I'm planning to be at the HOF all day Saturday to wander around, then staying overnight at the Quality Inn N - Schenectady, then all day Sunday - gonna try to plant myself in a good spot as early as possible Sunday with a lawn chair, a good book and something to drink so I have a nice spot for the ceremony in the afternoon. I imagine it wouldn't do much good to tell you I'll be the one in the Cubs hat and #23 Ryne Sandberg shirt :wink:

If money were no option for the organization, I'd say give Damon a shot next year (but for no more than 3 years guaranteed). Problem is $ IS an issue, there are a number of teams that are going to bid on him, AND he WILL command a very hefty salary as well as 4+ years. I don't believe just adding him makes us a championship team, and because of the $ involved I think we can address more problems than 1 with that kind of cash.

I think one of those articles this morning mentioned something like "the doctors say he can't do more damage to it than he already has" and they made it sound like that might be why they would consider using him yet this year. I'm not a doctor, but that statement really doesn't make alot of sense to me - and even if it just allows him more rehab time I would consider shutting him down and getting it fixed now and just hope he comes back strong in 2006.

I have a hard time believing Hendry is real satisfied with Corey's play in Iowa...he's hitting .200 in 40 at bats down there right now and from what I've heard, his approach hasn't improved much. I still think JH will trade C-Pat if he gets the right offer. I don't think Corey's value right now is any lower than it has ever or could ever be. I doubt we could get anything useful in a trade by including him - to me the only thing we can do with Corey is keep working with him and either: a. He makes corrections and becomes at least a serviceable player or b. He makes corrections and gains enough value that we can then trade him I just don't see Hendry doing anything to move him as an "add in" on a trade - then again, maybe some other team has scouted him and thinks they've spotted something and can coach him to stardom, but if so, they won't give up much of anything for him.

Cmon Rusch - let's finish this off!!

THIS JUST IN..... HELL HAS FROZEN OVER!!!! I don't believe it - I honestly dont

Nice job to make contact there Barrett - at least it wasn't a DP, but sheesh! :roll:

First: Blame the umps, all you want, but the blame has to go to Dempster/Blanco. You have Seabol down 0-2, and you walk him on 4 offspeed pitches? That is idiotic. You MAKE him hit to get on. They go after Seabol this game is over. Plain and simple. Second: The Cubs are going to win it here. You misunderstand me - the blame to the umps only goes for the call at 2B - a bang bang play could have gone either way - we get the blame for putting him on in the first place followed by giving up the hit