badgercub
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Everything posted by badgercub
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But the fact is they don't take the ball every 5th day and they don't save the bullpen because they generally get pulled earlier. A guy who gives you 200 innings of crap pitching isn't necessarily saving a thing. The claim was that the Cubs are lucky to have Rusch because he's such a good innings eater, yet the evidence would indicate the exact opposite. He only starts on occasion, and he gets knocked out earlier than most pitchers, which puts a greater strain on the bullpen, not less. Like I said, take Rusch out of the equation. In this discussion we have been talking about end of the rotation pitchers, which in reality are not going to be very good. Carlos Zambrano is an innings eater, Most of the elite pitchers are innings eaters, not just because they average 6+ innings a start, but they also miss very few games due to injury. So not only is Z a great pitcher, but also an "innings eater" Prior is a great pitcher, in my opinion, but he has not been an innings eater due to the fact that he hasn't been healthy all the time. It's not just innings per start.
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Come on now. Prior averaged over 6 innings per start. Rusch average less than 6. How in the world does he help save your bullpen? Rusch practically guarantees you'll need more relief work, and he's a greater threat to kill your bullpen by getting knocked out very early. Why do people feel the need to glorify lesser players? Rusch isn't valuable. Rusch is a dime a dozen replacable arm who brings very little to the table. I didn't glorify Rusch at all. I said he is NOT a great player, in fact he is mediocre. The statement was made that "anyone" can be an innings eater. Let's take Rusch out of the equation, the point I was making is that their value to a team (an innings eater) is that they can take the ball every 5th day and give your bullpen a break. I never said they were the end all be all of your rotation.
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It's also not out of the realm of possibility that one of: Miller,Wood or Prior could be ready. I'm guessing Blueheart is right on what the rotation will look like in early April. And I believe Prior might still be back shortly after that, if not, Hill will get a start unless Guzman or some other kid is absolutely dominating at the time. Even if Blueheart's rotation is accurate, they will need a long man in the bullpen. Wellemeyer?
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They can help take the strain off of an overworked bullpen, which is what happened to the Cubs last year. That doesn't change the fact that almost anybody can do it. Hill could do what Rusch does (suck for 5-6 innings at a time), and do it cheaper. Well, then Hill would be an innings eater for us. But look at Wood and Prior last year, when they were healthy they were close to the 100 pitch mark by the 5th inning. Enter Michael Wuertz, who suffered later in the season due to his overuse. I am not saying Rusch is a great pitcher, I am just saying guys like that are good to have on a staff because they can help to save your bullpen.
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They can help take the strain off of an overworked bullpen, which is what happened to the Cubs last year.
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Not to defend the how the Cubs have handled this, but would it make a difference as to whether Prior will be able to play or not. If he's injured, he's injured it isn't going to make a difference whether the Cubs admit it or not. Also, I am beginning to think Prior is a bit of a hypochondriac when it comes to any discomfort in his shoulder. The same thing happened last year and they didn't find anything at all wrong with the shoulder.
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I'm totally calm about this whole situation......
badgercub replied to WrigleyinEngland's topic in Chicago Cubs Talk
As Jimmy V would say "Don't give up, don't ever give up." The season hasn't even started yet, let's see what happens. If Prior is out for any length of time you will very likely see some of the youngsters get their chance. There has been no diagnosis on Lee yet so I think the lineup will be o.k. Let's just wait and see what happens when the season starts. The Cub's have enough money and time to let things play out. If things go horribly bad, I would hate to see them just quit. I don' t think they should have to rebuild like a small market team. -
You may be right, but trading Walker for basically nothing in return (considering how no teams have shown much interest) is probably the worst idea of all of them. I'd rather have Walker coming off the bench to pinch hit or spot start than have Neifi pinch hitting or spot starting ahead of someone like Luis Matos (rumor only). I just don't think you trade a relatively cheap bat if you aren't going to get equal return. I think that is why Hendry is waiting. Hendry is waiting for some team to suffer an injury to their second baseman and then he will be able to get fair value or get the other team to overpay.
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I am still of the belief that Todd Walker will not be with the Cubs on opening day. Walker has his +'s and -'s as does Hairston and I don't think either one, in and of themselves is going to be that much of an impact player in determining where the Cubs finish in the standings. The Cubs will rely on their pitching staff, Pierre's ability to get on base, and Lee and Ramirez ability to drive them in.
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Good Miles article: Decline of African Americans in baseball
badgercub replied to wade's topic in Chicago Cubs Talk
fear isn't stopping scouts from basketball and football teams from going into the inner cities and watching kids play. good article, but i'm not feeling that quote too much. i'm surprised by the cost of playing baseball...i was in a little league team in '94 and it didn't cost THAT much. maybe $250-$300 at the most. all we had to do was show up for practice with a bat, glove, cleats and some flexible clothing. the jerseys and gameday clothing were part of the fee you paid at the begining of the season. how much is it to play baseball on a high school or college team? i'm guessing it'll be in the $1000-$2000 range? My high school team all you needed to buy were cleats and a glove, but that was in the late 80's. -
it obviously has something to do with MSU laying a big fat egg in conference play, despite the contributions of "The Big Three". what a joke. Am I taking crazy pills here? Can you say with a straight face that those two outperformed Davis? Wisconsin disappointed in the Big 10 too, let's get Horner in there instead of Tucker. Come on, Tucker was the leading scorer in the Big 10 in conference play averaging 20 a game for a team with a lot less talent than MSU. And led them to a 4th place finish.
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Chicago City Council trying to sterilize Wrigleyville
badgercub replied to erik316wttn's topic in Chicago Cubs Talk
I am sure the alderman that brought it up was either pressured by the Cubs, the Trib, local businesses in Wrigleyville, the residents, or a combination of all to bring it up to the council. -
\ I think it makes a little more sense, Lee has more speed and would have the opportunity to score from first on balls hit in the gap, while ARam doesn't.
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Here is the lineup I would like to see: Pierre Walker/Hairston Lee Ramirez Barrett Jones Murton Cedeno pitcher
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I think Murton could be that guy. I think he will develop a little more power and fit nicely in that 5 spot. But I am betting Dusty will stick the lefty JJ in that spot.
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It will be Lee/Ramirez, just like it was last year. Also, I still think Walker will not be on the opening day roster for the Cubs. And, if that is the case you will probably see Hairston batting second and starting at second. Although I wouldn't mind Barrett getting a chance to bat 2nd. I could also see Cedeno as a guy who could develop into a good 2 hitter.
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If the Badgers can pull out a win on the road tonight at Welsh Ryan there will be a three way tie for first in the big ten, things will get very interesting. Badgers have had their problems playing there in the past so tonights game could be very interesting.
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not as ridiculous as the notion that pitchers that threw 35 complete games per year threw any where near as hard or with as much movement as pitchers today. their arms simply could not have withstood the abuse. while I don't think Cobb or Ruth would literally crap their pants, i assure you they would be shocked to see a pitcher throw 95 mph into the late innings, every inning, every batter, all season long. with that said, it's impossible to say what their natural abilities would have allowed them to do if facing today's pitchers. saying they could not only adapt, but still be great, is about as presumptuous as it gets. Why is that presumptious to assume that their hand/eye coodination and bat speed would be just as good today. If I recall, Ted Williams still has the highest test score for some kind of hand/eye coordination drill. Even players of today have not bested it, including guys like Tony Gwynn. In fact I think Gwynn has even made statements that he thinks guys like Williams would probably be better hitters in todays game than they were in their own era.
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I honestly don't see Walker being with the Cubs on opening day. I would like to see a healthy Jerry Hairston get a shot and see what he can do if that is the case.
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I do agree with some of the points you make. The size of the talent pool may be a lot bigger, but so is the competition from other sports like basketball, football, soccer, etc.... Back in to olden days the best athletes did not have all of these other options, or at least they werent' as popular. I think the thing I agree with the most is that it was an "all white" league and from that perspective they werent always playing against the best talent. I know you didn't say this Goony, but for someone to make the comment that Ty Cobb and Babe Ruth would "crap their pants" if they stood in against a Kerry Wood fastball is ridiculous. I still also contend that their hand/eye coordination, bat speed, and all other natural abilities would allow them to be great in any era.
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While I would tend to agree with you on the front end of the rotation, I would say the #4 and #5 pitchers in most rotations are not infinitely better, in fact I would think they are infinitely worse (for the most part).
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Indeed, I think in the end, it's all relative. Ole Miss, I totally agree with your assessment. In fact I think guys like Cobb and Williams would hit for as high an average if not higher. The pitching talent is really watered down and if these guys faced the middle relievers and 4th and 5th starters of today's game I think they would eat them alive. Ted Williams' hand/eye coordination would not be any worse today than it was back when he played, his bat speed would not be any different. I don't care what pitches are thrown today that werent thrown back then. Do today's athletes have to hit against guys that throw a spitter or a scuffed ball? Again you can make the argument that specialization and not facing the same pitchers time and again would have an adverse affect on their stats, but that is why these arguments are so interesting.
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Don't you mean "Oh well, at least we got rid of LaTroy."?
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Yep, Tucker sat out all but a handful of games when he injured/broke his foot, applied for and got a medical reshirt. Ray Nixon is the only senior on the team, and Tucker, Taylor, and Chappel are the only juniors. I didn't realize that he applied for a medical RS for that season. Excellent. I still wish he would have played with Harris more that year. It could have been great. Almost as great as if Harris would have come back his senior season. Oh well... I doubt he'll go pro. I doubt he'd be picked before the late second if he went anyway. He needs to develop his jumper. Yeah, there aren't many 6"6" power forwards in the NBA. He might be able to carve out a niche as a role player but would probably make far more money playing overseas ala Rashard Griffith. Needless to say he won't even get drafted much higher next year. He will stay without a doubt
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Yep, Tucker sat out all but a handful of games when he injured/broke his foot, applied for and got a medical reshirt. Ray Nixon is the only senior on the team, and Tucker, Taylor, and Chappel are the only juniors.