badgercub

I don't think it is totally absurd to think this could be a possiblilty as the fans BOO him.. If Hendry continues to make personnel decisions based on whether or not talk show hosts trash and fans boo players, then this organization will quickly become worse off that ever. Hendry needs to take a deep breath, realize that Aramis is a talented player stuck in a tough season, is a key building block, and not make a rash decision based on some goofs booing because he didn't sprint to 1B on a popup. I don't think anyone is saying to make a rash decision. I also think Aramis deserves to be criticized for not running out popups, getting thrown out at third in a close game, and several other examples of his lack of hustle. That is part of the problem, he needs to be held accountable for at least the things he can control, such as putting forth an honest amount of effort, and keeping his head in the game and recognizing what the situation in the game is. The Dusty approach is not working with him, whatever that might be. While some may be scapegoating Aramis I don't think it is a majority. I have seen others go the opposite way and not want to hold him accountable in any way for his lack of mental preparedness, and hustle, which is also no means a majority. To add, I wasn't talking about Aramis getting Booed, that quote is taken out of context. I was talking about ARod getting booed in New York.

Sorry Jim talking in the third person, only makes you look like a bigger jerk. "Oh yeah!. Jimmy's been watching you....you're just Jimmy's type." "George is getting angry"

If you got rid of Ramirez you would obviously have to get someone back in return to play third. I would love to see Hendry get creative and possibly pull off some kind of deal to get ARod from the Yankees, and the only way they would give up ARod would be if they got some talent in return, Ramirez, Jones, maybe a couple of youngsters, or get some other team involved. I don't think it is totally absurd to think this could be a possiblilty as the fans BOO him. If Hendry could work some kind of package to fill some of the Yanks immediate needs (Pitching, Outfield) He could possibly get something done. Not sayings there is a chance this will happen, I just don't think it is out of the realm of possiblity.

Are we talking about the lazy reputation or the "can't carry a club" reputation? He had a lazy rep, but the Cubs didn't seem to have a problem with that when they traded for him. They rightfully thought they could get production out of him. My concern is they will take the can't carry the club rep to the extreme and decide he will always wilt under pressure, and is therefore not clutch, and dump him. I was referring to the "lazy" reputation. It has been magnified due to the losing. Dusty has let it get out of hand by not disciplining Aramis, obviously just talking to him behind closed doors isn't working. I would have pulled a Bobby Cox on him and sat him after that lack of hustle, or as Dusty would call it "hustling at the wrong time", in Milwaukee.

For the right deal I would trade anyone on the Cubs roster. I don't think people want to give Aramis away but his attitude and lack of hustle leave something to be desired. You can critcize him for his effort, that doesn't mean you want to give him away. I don't disagree, but judging by what I'm hearing on the radio, reading in the sportspages, and seeing on other message boards, there's a growing sentiment that Aramis is a big problem and needs to be shipped out for whatever they can get. He's quickly becoming the player many fans are scapegoating. I actually agree...I think the Aramis issue is far bigger than it should be. After having had horrible third baseman for so long, you'd think we'd be happy with having Aramis...guess not. Aramis could have had a down year with or without Lee's injury, but because baseball works the way it does, his reputation will be forever tarnished by his struggles during Lee's absence. And the Cubs are just the type of organization that would standby that label that was earned in 2 months instead of a players entire career. Odds are he's going to finish the year with some very solid numbers, and at his age he'll do that for several more years. I don't think anyone would argue with his production or his upside. The fact is Aramis had the same reputation when the Cubs got him from Pittsburgh, I don't think this is anything new but it is being magnified because of the teams poor play. I think Dusty et al... have to shoulder some of the blame for this, don't get me wrong Aramis should give 100% all the time, but I think it is only human nature that when someone gets discouraged by how things are going that they may not always give 100%, that is not an excuse, but I think it is at these times that a good manager needs to do something to help them through it and get max effort from the people under him.

For the right deal I would trade anyone on the Cubs roster. I don't think people want to give Aramis away but his attitude and lack of hustle leave something to be desired. You can critcize him for his effort, that doesn't mean you want to give him away.

Dude, how could he "evaluate" the team when Dusty didn't have his "Horses"

I pitched against Todd Dunwoody in high school. Not quite the same as playing against two guys that have actually had sustained success at the major league level. I played against Damian Miller. And also against a lesser known guy by the name of Jeff Schmidt (had a cup of coffee with the Angels) and quite a few career minor leaguers.

I think it would be cool to have it at a neutral site. Like they do for the College World Series at Rosenblatt in Omaha. Build an awesome facility in Iowa somewhere and name it the "Field of Dreams" or something like that. I know it would never fly because there is too much money to be made by the Teams participating in attendance, merchandise, and concessions by not having it in their own cities.

You mean cheap money. Hendry doesn't let anyone go if it costs the Cubs money. See Rusch for a good example of this. That's not completely true, he let Sosa go and it cost the Cubs a ton of money. Also no announcement, if there is going to be one, will be made until Wed at the earliest. Baseball does not want anything to take away from what has become a joke of an All-Star game. Fire Dusty and oust Bud Selig

Ultimately this falls to Hendry, not Dusty. Dusty is at the end of his contract and is in a must win situation, of course he is going to do what he needs to do to keep his job which is win as much as you can now. You can't blame Dusty for that, it is Hendry who has to realize this and make a decision on Dusty's fate.

You do not like predominantly defensive catchers. Correct? Can Blanco hit? No. But neither can most of the catchers in the majors. He is one of the top back up catchers in the league. Barrett helps the team from an offensive standpoint and is detrimental from a defensive standpoint. Considering the Cubs have a young staff they really could use a good defensive catcher who can call a good game and help instill confidence in those youngsters. The offense that Barrett provides puts a few runs on the board which in the long run does nothing for the Cubs future which is what they should be focusing on. I didn't really mean backup, I meant replacement, which is my bad. But that said, I'm not sold on the impact that Blanco or any other "defensive" catcher would have on our young pitching staff. I don't believe that Barrett's D is costing us so many runs that it's hurting our young pitchers. I think Dusty and Hendry mis-using them is doing that just fine. And I'm tired of thinking about the long run. I want to win and as soon as possible. Barrett gives us a better chance of winning in the near future than trading him for a mid level prospect and using Blanco full time. We don't need any more low-OBP guys in our lineup. Wanting to win right now is part of the problem.Thats why every year the Cubs put a few band aids on and build up hopes. They need to rebuild. Barrets defense does not make up for his bat. Hes a poor handler of pitchers and is very poor throwing people out. If you trade Aram and move Barret to 3rd,then you can live with poor defense. A top team has to be strong behind the plate. I agree you don't give him away,but he can bring alot in return. With Tim Wilken coming from Toronto,he has a better idea than most what they have. Putting all the blame on Barrett for not throwing out runners more consistently is not completely fair. The Cubs pitching staff must also shoulder some of the blame, they just don't hold runners very well making it that much more difficult for the catcher to throw guys out. As far as calling a game, I don't know if Barrett even calls the game or are the signs sent in from the bench? I haven't really heard the pitchers complain about him being behind the plate. I will agree he is not great defensively but I don't think he is as bad as some make him out to be.

With a goal of winning back to back World Series titles, this would make the White Sox extremely tough in the second half and almost unbeatable in the playoffs with the amount of pitching they have. They are trading a piece of the future (who by the way you don't know for sure how McCarthy will perform) for a known quantity that may just give you that extra little bit you need to put you over the top. I don't think it would be a bad deal at all.

I sent him this, but obviously got no response. Gene, Have you seriously sat down and watched these Cubs? Dusty's teams may have put up some good records over the years but most true baseball fans in Chicago and San Francisco believe that those teams won in spite of Johnnie B. Baker, not because of his managerial abilities. Any fool can see that, maybe it is time to get your eyes checked and put down whatever Dusty Kool Aid it is that you are drinking. Too bad we can't get him to come on a chat on NSBB, he would be exposed.

The Horses are back

I can guarantee there will be a lot more White Sox on the AL roster. Ozzie will take as many of his guys as possible.

Scott Williamson on the SCORE right now. Good interview, he is talking about how Dusty plays the guys he has confidence in to the detriment of other players. Very diplomatically did not call them "Dusty's Favorites" but guys that Dusty has confidence in. Basically said that Matt Murton is getting a raw deal and should be allowed to work through his slump while playing every day. Also just said he expects to be traded so I think he is being totally honest trying to grease the wheels. Just said he hopes to be traded

The only problem this could cause is: The bullpen has been overused already this year. Eyre and Howry both made a lot of appearances last year and this year have been in a lot of games, I am just afraid the cumulative use of the last two years is going to render them useless before the end of their contracts.

Wake me when this happens, because they have yet to hire someone who can do this. The best GM the Trib has hired since they have taken over was Dallas Green, and even he had his shortcomings, but looking at the line of GM's over the years, he was the best they have had. BCB Yep, that is a pretty big IF.lol but you get my point, it can happen. It will be interesting to see how much the team changes over the next several weeks. With only a two year extension, and what looks to be a weak FA class this offseason, Hendry has a lot of work to do and with how poorly this team is constructed and how poorly they have played I can see a major overhaul. Hendry has a chance to start creating some excitement about next years team by making some moves before the trade deadline.

This whole notion of building from scratch and starting all youngsters is ludicrous. The Cubs don't have to do that. The teams that do that are the small market teams and the only reason they do it is because they have budget constraints, which the Cubs don't have. The Cubs, if they spend money wisely should be able to combine whatever mix of players they want, youngsters and vets. Look at how quickly Omar Minaya came in and with a mix of minor leaguers, trades and FA acquisitions turned that team around. Look at the Dodgers and what they have done this year. Sullivan talks like to rebuild you have to do it like the Marlins are doing and fill the roster with 20 rookies or whatever they have.

Any of you familiar with this kid? Had a heck of a junior year at Winthrop, he played in the Cape Cod League last year, did he get drafted? I was hoping to see him play in the Northwoods League this summer but can't find him anywhere.

Was it a bad throw or bad catch? Koskie stole on him earlier, now Lee. Not a good game throwing out runners. Definitely a bad throw. It sailed. Didn't they say early he is dealing with a minor nagging injury? Neck or back? Could be causing a problem with his throws.

Only by people who don't know how to compare hitters. I agree Goony, BA is irrellevant. Production should be all that matters.

From the article. I believe a saw it in the Milwaukee Journal/Sentinel not too long ago. Even at 10 -11 million a year, that is a bit high for a guy with a career .284 BA, Sub .340 OBP, and a career OPS of .831. He is not an elite player. He is consistently good, but not a great player. I am not saying I wouldn't want the Cubs to get him. But we wouldn't even pay Moises 9 million a year and he put up comparable numbers to CLee. I would love to have him for about 8 million or so for 3 years. I would not let a couple million a year stop me from signing C Lee. The Trib has the money that should not be a big issue in this. Who else can you get to play left that is a s good an option and costs you nothing in the way of trading other players? Will you be saying the same thing when at the end of the contract you are paying an aging CLee the kind of money you will be paying him for less than average production? The guy is starting the downside of his career and has only posted an OPS above .850 once in his career (not including what he has done this year) His ave year for homeruns is right around 30. So you either think that after the age of 30 he will continue to get better or more realistically you look at it and say he is a good consistent player that is entering the downside of his career, you should expect more closer to his career numbers the next couple years and then a decline. You wanna pay a guy whose skills are most likely in decline that kind of money and give him that many years?

As Matt Murton gets thrown under the bus by someone other than Dusty. . . I don't really think that is throwing someone under the bus. Now if he would've said Mabry should be starting over Murton that's a different story. Barrett is just saying it would be nice to have Lee's bat in the lineup. They are two different types of players, Murton doesnt' have the power that Lee has.