Illini Iceman

Whatever...the NL loses every year anyways. I'd rather just see it happen and see the MLB flip out about it. Hopefully it would bring about some sort of change to the systems. I don't get why everyone wants it changed. The players vote in the NFL and they are probably worse at picking the best players than the fans. The sportswriters are so on top of things that, for example, here in Tampa the local writers voted Jason Bartlett the team MVP of the Rays last year. Fans make some dumb picks but overall they do OK and from a standpoint of generating a lot of interest in the game the best way is by letting the customers decide who can play. All the starters are out after 3 innings anyway.

Has anyone signed Vizcaino yet? With all the bad bullpens out there you would think someone would give him a chance. In retrospect the best move probably would have been releasing Vizcaino out of spring training and keeping Gaudin. There obviously was no trade market for him since it seems no one wants him even as a free agent. Overall, however, you can probably throw Gaudin, Vizcaino, and Fox's names in a hat and pick one out to determine the best one. They are all just mediocre middle relievers. Cubs should have kept Shark in AAA, he could be coming up to make Z's starts instead of Wells. I assume they are sending him down and putting him back in the AAA rotation as a back up plan in case Wells can't cut it.

I thought this was funny:

ESPN sucks. You know the NBA called them up and told them to downplay the whole Rondo thing. I just got home so I haven't seen SportsCenter yet but there's no way that whoever was talking about the game is so stupid as to completely neglect something like that without being instructed to do so. I'm not a huge ESPN fan, but that play obviously stands out. They did discuss it when I was watching. It was during their little "three guys sitting at a table segement" with Jalen Rose. The one ESPN anchor (sorry, I don't know all the names because I rarely watch ESPN) asked Rose if he though Rondo might get suspended and Rose pretty much said no way, the refs took care of it in game and kept it from escalating so there was no reason for further punishment. He said that Rondo is lucky that the elbow he threw when Hinrich came after him missed because obviously if that had connected he would be facing major punishment. So while they don't support the suspension I think to say they completely neglected it would be unfair. Also, I think most non-Bulls fans would argue against him being suspended if for no other reason than they want to see both teams at full strength for an epic game 7, so I think Jalen Rose's comments are fair.

He's playing games. He isn't dumb. He knows the hypocrisy of it, he just doesn't care. He's doing it on purpose, for a reason. He's hoping there are people like you on the other team who will get all worked up and make a mistake or melt down. Maybe he is not a hyprocrite. Except for his magical first half of 2008 you could make an argument that Wellemeyer actually shouldn't be in the majors. So Tony is not completely wrong here.

I like the fact that Angelo doesn't feel pressured to take a WR just because everyone is talking about that as a big need. He takes what he feels is the best player and figures he will find a receiver later at a better value.

http://chicago.cubs.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20090422&content_id=4385010&vkey=news_chc&fext=.jsp&c_id=chc I don't get what the rush is to get Shark up here and DFA Vizcaino. Personally I would rather keep Shark stashed away in AAA until they have an injury in the rotation. Maybe he was being vocal about not wanting to be in AAA and Hendry decided for long term it was better to keep him happy and just cut bait with Vizcaino. Guess this means Wells and Atkins will be the ones in line for the spot starting role. Can't see any way they will keep Samardzija stretched out enough that he could do it.

I find it amazing that he stayed on the line through the whole home run call and most of the song.

I see Veal has 3 BB's in the whopping one inning of work the Pirates have given him so far this season. Of course he also has 3 K's. In the batters he has faced he has either walked them, struck them out or given up a homer.

Had Papelbon not been rocked yesterday, he would have been the best candidate to take the pen lefty spot. I know hes never been past AA, but Iowa doesnt have any lefty worth bringing up. Waddell would be a better desperation option than Papelbon, but I wouldn't really see the point of calling up either one at this point. As useless as Cotts has been he most likely will be just as good or better than either of those two.

would you rather have someone else face lee, tejada, and pence and keep marmol for pudge, bourn, and a pinch hitter? I'd see how far Vizcaino could take me and use Marmol if the game was in doubt. Looks like Lou really wants to slam the door since he used Marmol and now has Gregg and Guzman warming. Judging by how Lou has used Vizcaino (or more specifically NOT used Vizcaino) in the first three games I wouldn't be surprised if Hendry mandated he be kept on the roster due to the salary so Lou is just going to let him rot at the end of the bullpen.

My point is if you act (fall over drunk and hurt yourself) / look (have incredibly dumb facial hair) like a clown, better put up the numbers because otherwise if you have a boss that doesn't like to put up with clowns (Lou) he is going to to likely give another guy the benefit of the doubt if it is a close call. We know that the Cubs were struggling over this decision so it is possible that if they felt at the end that it was a complete toss up that character / professionalism may have played a role in the final decision.

I tend to agree, but if Gaudin was going to struggle getting guys out then he doesn't really provide much starting pitching depth. Cubs probably figure Shark / Hart / Adkins ready in AAA can provide the same level of production for DL replacment starts as Gaudin. Thinking about it, Gaudin probably didn't do himself any favors with his bit goofy beard. I mean the guy already supposedly went on the DL last year for being an idiot and hurting himself when he is drunk. So he knows that he may already be on thin ice with Lou so he comes in looking like a clown that is not taking things seriously. Probably still makes the team without any doubt if he pitches well, but when he struggles it couldn't have helped the perception in Lou's eyes that he is not a serious athelete. Eyre had the same problem with Lou, and eventually it was his ticket out the door (though it did work out pretty well for him). Not saying it is right but, just like any other employee, sometimes you have to adjust your style to your boss or you are not going to get any favors.

I would have gone with Gaudin and Guzman and sent Patton back. Not sure I buy into his sudden emergence as a big league caliber reliever. Hendy and Lou talking up the competition so much kind of backed themselves into a corner. You can't say that then give the job to two guys who had awful springs over a guy that was light's out. In the big picture I am not sure this is going to matter either way. Gaudin and Patton will probably both have non-attention worty careers. Just think Gaudin is more likely to turn it around and be useful this year than Patton is to stay solid all season and stick.

I know. I hate that. They don't need a built in weather day since they are playing in a dome.

HAHA bitter Packer fan face, I LOVE IT! I realize I am really late in reading this, but after being called a Packer fan I have never been so offended. Well with that ridiculous comment I could only assume you were a Packer fan. If thats not the case, then it must just be that you dont know much about the Bears or football. Really? Is it that ridiculous to be concerned that the upgrade at quarterback might not help enough to offset the poor group of receivers, questionable offensive line, and average and aging defense? It is also reasonable to doubt that Cutler will be a perennial All Pro with the Bears. I hope it happens, but I don't think it's the slam dunk like most seem to think. The #1 and #3 pick this year and #1 pick next year also weren't going to offset those things if they really do exist. The point it is a lot easier to fix those issues through FA and/or mid round draft picks then it is to get a potential franchise QB that has NFL experience. A chance like that may only come along once a decade, which is why teams were lined up to make a deal with Denver.

The funny thing is most of these guys were blasting the Bears after the draft last year for not picking a QB because they needed one to build the team around. Now the Bears cash in draft picks to get a QB they can build the team around and get blasted because they have a QB but less draft picks. To me it is definitely worth the price. If the Bears were interested in Sanchez they would have had to give up at least their #1 and #3 this year to move up to get him. This way they give up the #1 and #3 plus a #1 next year but they get a guy that is further along the learning curve and who they know can play and play well at the NFL level. The additional #1 is worth getting a sure thing instead of a guy that could flame out (like Cade McNown). Losing Kyle Orton is a non-factor, if they were bringing in a guy to be #1 instead of him his value becomes minimal anyway.

I wonder what the motive for the players is for this. I know many times they try to avoid too much of the statistical side not because they don't like it, but because they don't want any focus on that to affect them on the field. At the same time though, it can be hard to evaluate exactly what your weaknesses are on defense (as far as I know, position players don't look at videos of their defense nearly as much as their batting or opposing pitchers) and so their section could give them a fair objective opinion. Then again, who knows. They often have very different perspectives about things than fans. It looked to me like they were genuinely curious. They also seemed to think the book was fair to them. You're right, players have a different take on things than fans. That's probably why Theriot made his comment about errors. Pitchers, such as Maddux, talked about wins. That's their perspective. After reading what they said about Theriot I can see why the players would like it. He goes out of his way to not say anything really bad about Theriot. On the other hand he has poor range to the hole and his weak arm keeps him from making plays there. I suppose that would be true of a lot of SS. but it still seems like he's sugarcoating Theriot's defensive flaws. His arm is definitely an asset when turning 2. Just think about how hard it would be for him to turn 2 if he had no right arm.

These Yankee announcers make my ears bleed. Did Paul O'Neil play for the Yankees? The 6000 stories (all of them boring) he has told so far aren't enough to convince me - maybe if he told a few more I would know for sure.

Honestly it was overkill and many reporters took advantage of the situation to get lazy. Do they really need 50 reporters sticking a micropohone in a players face after a game getting the same quotes? The Cubs "notes" section of just about every paper had the same information so clearly for the most part guys were sitting in the same interview rooms getting the same information and just regurgitating it without making any extra effort to get fresh information. They can also probably write better game stories watching on TV with replays and analysis than they can by watching from the press box anyway. The whole beat writer thing is still set up based on old timey days when all the games weren't on TV and there was no ESPN, MLB Network, etc to air live press conferences. The expense involved with a guy traveling with a team compared to the actual value the newspapers get from it doesn't add up anymore.

13 BB and 3 HBP in 13 innings pitched this spring.

?? Why is that stupid? Line drives come zipping down past them all the time, and unlike fielders they may not always be completely focused on the ball at all times if they are watching their base runners, timing the pitchers release, or something like that. Why wouldn't you want them wearing helmets? More players get hurt by getting hit in the face with baseballs than coaches get hurt by line drives to the head so if it is that big of a concern I guess you would also be in favor of the face guards. If a coach really wants to wear a helmet he should be able to do it, but to require them like it is some big safety concern is an overreaction. Why not make them wear catcher's gear as well? They can't be completely focused on the ball at all times and they could get hit by a line drive in the shin so they should have necessary protection, right?

I've actually seen them wearing facemasks in the field. They require kids in our Tee-Ball league to wear the cage on the helmet. I guess in case the ball jumps up off the tee and hits them in the face. Honestly, requiring major leaguers to wear this would not be any stupider than making base coaches wear helmets so I wouldn't be at all surprised to see it happen some day.

My guess is that Hendry invited him to camp as a favor so he could showcase to other teams if he still had anything left. I don't think the Cubs planned on putting him on the roster except as a complete last resort. I would think if he pitches well in AAA and another team shows interest in adding him to their big league roster Hendry will release him to join that team or trade him for cash considerations or something like that. Hendry seem to like to do this good will type of stuff and it probably helps his reputation among players.

Gaudin's got several years of solid production in MLB. What does Patton have? ST numbers? I agree that Gaudin should make the team, but that being said he really needs to get his s**t together. He has been bad all spring and was bad at the end of last season. Piniella seems to be giving him every chance to pitch his way out of whatever issues he is having, but once the season starts it's going to really suck if he is a gas can out of the bullpen. The Cubs are going to need him to give them some quality middle / long relief innings and probably fill in as a reliable spot starter from time to time so if he fails it is going to hurt the whole pitching staff.