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Illini Iceman

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Everything posted by Illini Iceman

  1. When it's all you got..... you gotta savor it !! :wink: When I turned on the game and saw them wearing those damn 1984 uniforms it made me really want the Cubs to make them and their fans go home unhappy.
  2. They probably won't offer arbitration to Lilly either so for them to take the two guys they traded for and then basically toss them both away for nothing a couple months later wouldn't reflect too well on Colletti and his talent evaluation.
  3. Yep - they need to do something in the offseason to get the general fanbase excited again and bringing back Quade or hiring Bob Melvin isn't going to get it done. I think Ricketts has wanted Sandberg since he bought the team and now he has Hendry doing the dog and pony show to make it seem like it was not predetermined. Maybe if Girardi were to throw himself at the Cubs they would consider that instead but even then I think they would lean Sandberg because he probably come cheaper.
  4. I think if the end of this season showed the new owners anything it is that if they put out a team that is not in contention they can't count on continuing to get automatic sold out games next season. They need to make some kind of splash in the offseason to build up hope or their attendance is going to be down until they start winning.
  5. http://msn.foxsports.com/nba/story/carmelo-anthony-deal-from-denver-nuggets-to-new-jersey-nets-could-be-in-works-092410
  6. Of the four, Kosuke has a pretty comfortable lead in OPS+ and OBP. He's 4th in games played and third in PA. All four of them have had bad months, but I think Kosuke is the only one who people think of as having been bad for an extended period of time. Jersey, what do you think of the idea of the Cubs bringing Nady back for the bench next year? I don't know if he'd be willing to accept a deal like that with how he's come on late, but if he can be had for the right price I'd like to see him back. I am for it. I have been for a while without saying much about it because part of me thinks it's s stupid idea, but I like it. Seems to me he needs regular at bats to get his hitting stroke going so I don't know how effective he will be as a part time player.
  7. I like how Quade says he will play Hill for sure against the teams still in contention as if it would be unfair to keep that weapon on the bench in games that have playoff implications.
  8. He should be benched until the end of the year!!!!! :D Redeemed himself to end the game.
  9. I think it is safe to say that from his previous business experience he knows a lot more about sales and marketing than he does about baseball operations. Therefore it is perfectly logical that he could instantly identify that an upgrade needed to be made in that department but would not feel as comfortable doing something on the baseball side until he has a more in depth review and understands better what is being done well and where there could be improvements. There is no way privately he is looking at the record of this team and the empty seats and not putting pressure on Hendry and his baseball operations team to turn it around in the short term or lose their jobs. So I think Hendry is on the hot seat for 2011.
  10. Nope; Memphis gets the playoff spot because of a better record in head-to-head play against Iowa. Iowa's season is over. I expect the Cubs to make some call-ups tomorrow. Chirinos, LaHair, Snyder, and Smith all deserve the call. As for Guyer, as far as current big league players, any idea what his ceiling is? The Cubs 40 man roster is full I believe, the best they can probably do is add two spots by putting Grabow and Caridad on the 60 day DL.
  11. Keep in mind that in this specific case the bunt pretty much also took the bat out of Byrd's hands because you knew they would walk him with first base open. So you have men on 1st and 2nd with no outs and arguably your best two hitters coming up and the strategy used ensures that neither or them will get a chance to hit.
  12. I think statistically, 1st and 2nd, no outs with ordinary hitters both at-bat and on-deck, sac-ing is slightly better than batting in that situation. Run expectancy isn't much different with runners on 1st and 2nd with nobody out versus 2nd and 3rd with one out. So even if you assume a successful sac bunt, you haven't really gotten anywhere. And there's still that chance to fail. And the chance for the defense to fail as well. It's pretty close to a wash, that's why I said 'slightly better.' Either way, it's not a bad decision. You are leading by two runs in the bottom of the eighth in a game in September when you are way out of contention. Let the kid swing the bat. If it was the same situation in game 7 of the WS with the score tied I could understand the decision. But there is no reason to play for one run under these circumstances.
  13. Why for the love of Dusty would Quade have him sacrifice with men on 1st and 2nd and no out today in the bottom of the eighth?
  14. My gut feeling is that Ricketts has already told Hendry he wants Sandberg in there and the rest is a dog and pony show. Say what you will about Hendry but my impression is that he would never string a guy along he respects as much as Trammell if he knew there was no chance he could get the job. Since Quade is not going to get hired anywhere else anyway Hendry would just be able to tell him to have fun for 6 weeks with his dream job and if catches lightning in a bottle maybe he can steal the job away. Plus he is a real organizational guy so whatever Hendry tells him to do regarding what players to use, etc for evaluation purposes Quade will probably go along with. On a side note, I can't believe that Lou and Trammell wasted the 2 weeks Soto was hurt playing Hill every day when they could have gotten an extended look at how Castillo can handle the big leagues.
  15. If true that quote doesn't really make sense. Didn't he get upset about being moved from 2B to LF?
  16. It is probably mostly Dempster complaining. He was griping after they traded Lilly and Theriot so this Lee move can't be making him very happy. If I recall correctly was pushing for his buddy Millar in the spring to make the team. I would tend to that think he believes that the way to build a winning team is with veterans and good clubhouse guys so there is no way he is going to agree with these moves.
  17. Bottom line is if Cutler goes down, it doesn't really matter who is taking snaps behind center. People say this all the time and it drives me nuts. Yeah if he's lost for the year that's the case. But don't you want someone who can potentially keep you afloat if he's hurt for 2-3 games? Or just to fill in for 2 quarters if he gets knocked out in a game? Garcia isn't coming here to be a third string QB and insurance policy. McNown isn't any good and is probably not going to keep you "afloat" for 2-3 games. Pretty much anyone out there right now with any experience is either bad or would only come back for a real shot at playing, not to carry a clipboard and possibly not even be active on game day when Hanie gets healthy.
  18. Why would they win in court? The Mets' options are spelled out by the CBA and the contract Rodriguez signed. I doubt either contains a stupidity clause that allows the Mets to void. They may threaten it, but it's just posturing. I just don't see how K-Rod could still stand to gain however much money he has coming this year (and whatever part of next year he misses, if any) due to his own stupidity. If it was a baseball-related injury, too bad. The Mets are out of luck. But they shouldn't be forced to pay substantial amounts of money to a player who is physically unable to perform due to his own off-field actions. Well if the Mets want to write a stupidity clause into their player contracts, then more power to them (provided it doesn't conflict with the CBA and players will agree to it). Absent that, though, they're SOL. Like I said, what the Mets can and can't do depends on what's written into the contract, not what you or I consider fair or common sense or whatever. They should be able to void the contract of the Mets GM that was stupid enough to sign him to this deal to begin with.
  19. It is also possible that some of these guys didn't want to sign because either they really wanted to go to college or they think they can improve their stock for next year and get drafted higher for even more money than they could get as an overslot this year. For all we know the Cubs made strong overslot offers to a few of these draft picks and they just chose not to sign for their own reasons.
  20. http://www.chicagobreakingsports.com/2010/08/haugh-dont-be-unhappy-about-limited-cutler.html
  21. They should feel comfortable playing DeWitt at 3B. It's his natural position. But yeah, Barney will be hopping on a plane. It's not a Hendry team without a crazy number of 2B. Barney is actually as much a SS as a 2B, right? And the Cubs now need a back up SS so how do you see bringing up Barney as meaning they will have a crazy number of 2B? I think the Cubs were going to non tender Theriot and Fontenot both in the off season anyway so whatever the minor leaguers Hendry got for them wind up doing is just a bonus. Barney is exactly what you need as a 24th or 25th man, cheap and versatile, much better than paying millions for a guy like Miles. It is a good thing if the farm system can provide guys like this to provide low cost production.
  22. Mentions Jay and Jeff, that's it. Lilly isn't a big contract coming off the books?
  23. This sounds like an episode of Jersey Shore.
  24. I see little to no chance that they let Cashner go back to starting and that boggles my mind. It was their idea to let him start after drafting him so I doubt they gave up on the idea that quickly. I think they will let him start again in winter ball and going into spring training but it is too late now to try to put him back in the rotation.
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