erik316wttn

I'm with you, dude. Contract some teams and get rid of the wild card. There was nothing wrong with the system pre 94. Oh, boo hoo hoo, the Giants won 103 games and didnt make the play offs. Cry me a river. In recent years, the only pennant race has been the race for the wild card. Ditto. I was a fan of pre-94. I don't like the realignment and playoff system...nor do I like interleague play, the DH and the ASG deciding HFA for the WS. :pukel: I'll give you the last 2, but I happen to like interleague play.

I agree. And I never thought this "well, you have a 2nd place team win the World Series!! How lame is that?" argument held any water (not saying that anyone has made it in this thread, I've just heard it made). You have 2nd place teams in the NBA, NHL, and NFL in the playoffs with a shot at the championship, so why not baseball? And I don't know about expansion. The pitching is already watered-down as it is. The only markets I'd say "yes" for another team is New York, and Vegas (but then you'd have to take all the MLB games off the books, and I doubt that's gonna happen). New York can handle 3 teams. It handled 3 teams when the city was half the size it is now. It can again. Screw Stienbrenner and the hissy fit he'd have.

I love it...although I think it might take a substantial increase in premium fees. And I don't know if we'd have the revenues to go out and sign top-notch FA's, either.

I'm torn on what to do about Corey. I think he should get ONE final chance, and if he doesn't show improvement, cut bait and go with Pie. That being said, when should he get that chance? September, or 2006?

I'd keep Nomar. See if he'd sign another cheap incentive-laden deal (5 million base, 10 million w/incentives) with Cedeno as the backup. Keep the INF the same in 2006. That's not where the problem is.

Well, if you're gonna suck, at least do it right.

Do you think the boos will help Corey perform better? Fragile or not, deserved or not, I think they could have a negative effect on Patterson's performance, which is something I care about. And here we go with "To boo or not to boo" discussion #4201329.

If I was a FA pitcher, I think I'd take a pay cut to NOT come to Chicago. I'd stay away from this team like the plauge.

I tend to agree. At this point it's pretty much "Anyone but Dusty" How about the return of Don Baylor? :lol: I'd still rather have the groundhog. Dusty is Baylor 2.0, only more maddening. Ok, not ANYONE but Dusty, but we need a manager with a different philosophy.

And that's another thing. All that money (with a discount for Nomar, hopefully ) will be off the books next year. If we buy out the final $4 million of Dusty's contract, that will go on NEXT year's books and won't hurt that badly. Nobody seems to realize this. The Sammy money is THIS year. The Dusty money would be NEXT year.

The three things that need to be done first, before anything, are to get rid of Hollandsworth, Macias, and Perez. If you don't fire Dusty, then you gotta get rid of Dusty's boys.

I tend to agree. At this point it's pretty much "Anyone but Dusty"

Murton should be the LF starter for the rest of the year. No pressure, just let him hit and give him a shot to see what he's got. Lawton should be in CF and let Burnitz be in right, and have him be the odd man out once/if Corey comes back this year.

I've actually always liked that uniform for some reason. You're a Cardinal fan, so I understand if you're a little off in the head. ;)

http://atlanta.braves.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/team/coach_staff_bio.jsp?c_id=atl&coachorstaffid=621104194427 I know UK has been pushing Deirker, and I would prefer him to Dusty as well. I would also be interested in seeing if Pat Corrales might like the job, but he might be older than anyone we prefer. I also think Brad Mills, who is the bench coach for the Red Sox might have the right pedigree for the job. Not that I think it is possible, but Riggleman, in my opinion, wasn't all that poor a choice. My problem with Riggs is that he would leave a pitcher in WAY too long if he was getting shelled.

:lol: But on topic, say Dusty does leave. Who's gonna take his place? Sarge? Does anyone else recognize the possibility that whoever takes Dusty's place might actually be worse? That would be difficult. Not impossible, but difficult. If we get another one of these "old school" managers like Dusty is, then it's, as the song goes "Second verse, same as the first". If we take a chance on someone, or get an established "new school" guy, I think it could really pay off.

its hard to understand how a team with this muh potential can "lucking into win after win". i would think they have been winning DESPITE baker. I think Hendry is stuck on Baker. But all is not lost. Hendry has show willingness to let go of players with potential and even players that have gained the City's affection (Fransworth, Sosa-respectively). I would think Baker would pretty much have to tank the rest of the season for Hendry to tell him to hike...... I could go for a 10-game losing streak. I've written this season off, anyway, so it wouldn't hurt for me at all for this team to just totally collapse if it means Dusty is out by Opening Day 2006.

Sammy developed a halfway decent eye during those years. I saw him lay off some really close pitches.

I'll pledge $20 for his plane ticket.

I thought about posting this story early yesterday when I first saw it. but good for all the Reds players. I tip my hat to every one of them who comforted that kid during an undoubtedly scary time. They truly were class acts.

But this isn't "other teams". This is the Chicago Cubs, laughingstock of baseball for most of the past 97 years or so. If Hendry cannot see the damage that Dusty has done/is doing to this team, I sincerely think he should make an appointment to check for brain damage. Maybe he hurt more than just his knee with that tumble down the stairs he took a while back. Again, that's simplistic thinking to think that another manager with the same cast would be able to produce a 60-63 win team at this point. I don't understand, even with the hatred for Baker, that you choose to let Hendry and the players off the hook. If you want to fire Baker, fine. But then you have to at least get rid of some players or the coaches or the GM, too. You're giving Baker too much credit if you think he singlehandedly has ruined the team. I don't let Hendry and the players off the hook. The players are making errors that little leaguers know not to make, and Hendry didn't do a good job at all improviing this team in the offseason. But Dusty is responsible for the on-field play. If a guy isn't cutting it and has gotten chance after chance, he should be benched or replaced. If a guy keeps making a stupid error over and over again, he should be reprimanded and punished until he knows not to make it anymore. These guys keep making the SAME mistakes OVER and OVER and OVER again. If Dusty was really cracking down on it like he should, it either woudln't be happening, or the repeat offenders would be benched. Neither is happening.

No, Dusty SHOULD be fired. It would not shock me at all to see him as manager again in 2006. Again, this is the Cubs.

But this isn't "other teams". This is the Chicago Cubs, laughingstock of baseball for most of the past 97 years or so. If Hendry cannot see the damage that Dusty has done/is doing to this team, I sincerely think he should make an appointment to check for brain damage. Maybe he hurt more than just his knee with that tumble down the stairs he took a while back.

I'm white and I thought it was a riot. But, I'm of the white race. I am the oppressor of every single race, and being as such, I cannot be subject to racism. :roll: And what about team names like "The Minutemen?" That's a group of people too.

Bunch of losers. If this team finishes 10 games over .500 this year I'll eat my hat. I'd be shocked at 5 over, frankly.