gflore34

I was thinking along the same lines, granted the Cubs coaches are barely competent if at all, but, do we really think they're that inept as to not work with Corey on pitch selection and working the count? Most especially the Sarge, think he knows about taking a pitch or two and working the count? Remember 1984? When is it the player’s responsibility? We like to blame every failure on Cubs management but, at some point the player has to be solely responsible for success or failure.

But isn't this better than not tending him a contract? I mean I think (K)orey pretty hit rock bottom here and needs a change of scenery. Hendry totally mishandled the Sosa and Farnsworth deals, but I think this is different. If he never pans out, then this isn't a terrible trade, IMO. Agreed, I believe this is the best deal he could get for Patterson, don't you believe if he could have aquired a Soriano for Patterson he would have done so? Face it, there's wasn't a team out that was going to offer even an average ML player for Patterson.

The key point, no concept of the strike zone and a swing with multiple holes are what did Patterson in and will continue to do so if doesn't learn how to recognize the strike zone. I'm not a fan of the Cubs coaching but, I'd be a fool not think they didn't work with him on pitch recognition. It's possible he may never aquire or learn that skill...

You guys shot very poorly from the outside but then seemed to get really tentative in the second half. We were playing very good defense (as we have all year) but just got lucky with you guys missing some open looks in the first half. In the second half I thought our defense was better, but when Dee and others got looks they passed them up and had to scramble late in the shot clock to throw something up. Jamar Smith was the one guy who took the shot every time he got an open look and I was surprised at the ones he missed in the first half. I don't know if I've seen that guy miss this year when I've seen an Illinois game. Taking Augustine out of the game was huge, he never really got involved. After he had that big dunk mid-way through the 2nd half I thought he was going to go on a tear but never did. Same thing with Dee when he knocked down that 3 early in the second half. I think everyone in the building thought he was going to get hot and take over after that shot but it never happened. You guys looked a lot more one-dimensional offensively than last year but I also think you play much better defense than last year's team. Guys are just a lot quicker on switch outs, get up on you much closer and really gave us no open looks in the first half. It looks to me like Bruce has put a much bigger emphasis on defense this year. Yeah Bruce has to concentrate more on defense this year because we don't have the same talent on offense. iowa would have probably beaten us anyway, but fwiw, the officiating in that game was the worst i've ever seen in any game this year, so far. every call favored iowa, every call. wait until we go to madison, everyone is paying us back for last year. Even the referees. Really can't complain about the Officiating, in my 25+ years of following the Illini and Big Ten BB, it's always been 8 on 5 when comes to road games. You've got to expect that going into to a road game and adjust, it's never going to change. IMO no other conference comes close in giving preferential treatment to the home team.

But the fact is they don't have a lineup to compare. You speak in generalities, like Lee and Ramirez stack up against Rolen and Pujols. Simply "stacking up" doesn't mean much. Comparing teams and lineups this way doesn't take you far. STL's lineup routinely outproduces the Cubs lineup, and their lineup is no worse than it was, while the Cubs is not significantly better, if it's better at all. But you are also speaking in generalities. St. Louis's lineup in recent has outperformed Chicago's, but not at the core of the team (3-4). It's the unexpected overproduction out of roleplayers in St. Louis, and the unexpected lack of production out of key or role players in Chicago. With the core of each team stacking up comparatively, all it takes is for the breaks to fall to the other side: Pierre ignites the Cubs in the same way Eckstein did for the Cardinals, Grudz returns to old Grudz, the OF fillers for St. Louis don't have a career years, and Murton finds his sride as an everyday player. I have no issue looking at both teams lineups on paper right now and saying they are close. I do give St. Louis an edge, but not a drastic one. I'm not speaking in generalities, I'm speaking toward specific trends. Saying that certain parts of the lineup "matchup" is meaningless. Those parts have "matched up" before and still led to consistently better offense from STL. The fact is Pujols is likely to outproduce Lee, and Rolen could easily outproduce Ramirez if he plays just as long. Last year Ramirez outperformed because he had more games, and Lee slightly outperformed because he had a career year, and the teams were still not close in the rankings. The Cubs don't have anybody who comes close to Edmonds. STL is significantly better offensively than the Cubs. They've been significantly better for quite a while, and they will be, more likely than not, significantly better in 2006. Pujols outproducing Lee is a given however, Rolen easily outproducing Ramirez is not a given, chances are it'll be the other way around. It's been argued Jones being 30 is more likely to decline in production, well, Rolen is the wrong side of 30. Why wouldn't the decline in production argument apply to him as well? Whereas Ramirez has shown marked improvement the last three seasons and is still on the right side of 30, there's a very good chance Ramirez will equal if not better Rolen' production in 2006.

But the fact is they don't have a lineup to compare. You speak in generalities, like Lee and Ramirez stack up against Rolen and Pujols. Simply "stacking up" doesn't mean much. Comparing teams and lineups this way doesn't take you far. STL's lineup routinely outproduces the Cubs lineup, and their lineup is no worse than it was, while the Cubs is not significantly better, if it's better at all. I believe the Cubs 2006 lineup is better, as much as we disliked the cost of aquiring Pierre, there's no way his addition doesn't represent a huge improvement over what the Cubs used in the 1 spot last season. Jones will produce at least what Burnitz did in 2005, if not, slightly more. And given an opprotunity, I believe there's a real chance Cedeno and Murton will out produce what the Cubs got of SS and LF last season.

Are you forgetting Pujols, Rolen, and Maybeline? You have to parden me if I don't buy what you are selling. The Cubs don't have the run producing capeablilities of St. Louis and don't have the overall pitching of Houston. The real dark horse is Millwaukee. They have good starting pitching, Kolb has to show 2004 wasn't a fluke and the youngsters have to hit around Lee and the Cubs will be sucking their exhaust too. The Cubs scored 10 more runs than the Astros, had a higher OPB, SLP and BA than the Astros and White Sox (scored 38 less runs). I don't believe the run producing capabilities of a St. Louis are necessary, pitching is the key. After Oswalt, Pettitte and Clemens who did the Astros have? Aren't a healthy (and younger) Wood, Prior and Zambrano at least the equal of Oswalt, Pettitte and Clemens?

The past two seasons the key to the Cardinals' success has not been career years from the baseball flotsam and jetsam that is Womack, Nunez, etc. It’s been a healthy starting staff and a great bullpen, there's no reason why such a formula won't work for the Cubs. A healthy Prior, Wood and Zambrano is the equal or better of any 1,2 and 3 in the NL Central, couple that with what on paper appears to be a very good bullpen and these Cubs are capable of winning 90+ games. Of course, some element of luck is involved and these are the Cubs so, there's probably a greater chance one of us will prove the trisection of arbitrary angles with a straight edge and compass than there is of Prior, Wood and Zambrano remaining healthy and the bullpen not imploding.

Did the Badgers really need those last four points? Does Bo Ryan have some sort of an inferiority complex? Reminds me of two years ago when he had them firing 3's in last moments when they were up by 20 or so on the Spartans. I believe Izzo didn't offer a post game handshake after that incident.

Didn't they use their first pick in 2004 to draft Eli Manning only to trade him to the Giants for David Rivers? Question answered, guess I was slow on the draw.

Didn't they use their first pick in 2004 to draft Eli Manning only to trade him to the Giants for David Rivers?

I wondered this myself, but Eric seemed to do well last year even while his brother was faltering. Eric has the personality to handle the situation. While Corey is not very expressive, Eric is outgoing and known as a clubhouse leader. I actually think this ordel will make Eric stronger mentaly and I have little doubt that he will be the more successful pro among the Patterson brothers. I thought that Eric has commented about this before and he realizes that it's a business and these things happen. I hope that's true - too many sports figures (in my opinion) do alot of complaining about mistreatment by management and lack of loyalty and respect (especially when arbitration cases and free agency come up), but as you stated above, baseball IS a business nowadays and the players do what's best for them while ownership does what's best for it. That would be a mature way to look at it by Eric and hopefully there won't be any grudges held against the organization as he progresses throughout the system. ...and I hope he has some concept of the strike zone.

Maybe that's why he's sacked so often! I think that the Texans need a mobile QB with that line. Either that or get some better linemen. Good point...

Granted Young had a great game but, one has to consider the fantastic O-Line he had, simply tremendous, for that matter so was USC'. Should Young declare for NFL and the Texans draft him that very well may be a recipe for disaster. I don't have the numbers in front of me but, wasn't Carr the most sacked QB in the League the last two seasons? Putting Young behind such line? RIP Mr. Young. NFL teams are going to dare him to pass the ball and play the scramble, he'll get destroyed.

No doubt Tejada is marque player but, do the Orioles really think they can successfully hold him ransom for the precious commodity that is pitching? There isn't a team out there, most especially one with playoff aspirations, that's going offer up their No. 1,2, or 3 starter along with other All Star players and prospects. If they're truely intent on accomodating Tejada they best lower their sites.

Vince Young - Let the Packers draft him, Urlacher, Briggs, Brown and/or Vasher will knock him silly. He (Young) will be a better passer but, at the moment he's one dimensional, he'll get mashed in the NFL.

Sulley: Don't know if you listen to Boers and Berstein much but, apparently, without a doubt and most definitively, MSU and IU are head and shoulders above the Illini. IU has with Killingsworth a true "black man"(whatever the hell that means) in the middle and of course, MSU has Paul Davis in the middle. The Illini on the other hand are soft in the middle and are going to get chewed up and spit out by IU and MSU. Boers and Berstein follow the same MO of Mariotti, regardless of what the Illini have done or will do the other guy is always better. I'm cautiously optimistic about the Illini. I believe they're going to better than people thought and will be right there with MSU and IU for the Big Ten title.

I believe a lot of it is related to everyone's favorite toothpick sucker and the seemingly unquestioning love the brass has for him. Pitchers know they can't talk about wanting to come out of games. And they'll get blasted if they question the manager's overuse of them. But they have to trust the pitching coach and manager will look out for them. Dusty never looks out for his pitchers. And while one of his jobs is to deflect blame away from players, he'll never do that either. It would not surprise me at all if a pitcher hated Dusty. I agree. Prior didn't even pitch the whole year but check this out... http://www.baseballprospectus.com/statistics/sortable/index.php?cid=25 Prior would make atleast 30 starts a year w\o dusty All the more reason to not like the man they call Dusty Baker. I agree Dusty abuses pitchers and shows poor judgement of when to pull the starter however, Zambrano and Prior (and Wood for that matter) could cut down on the abuse by consistently throwing strikes.

I should have looked closer, posted the same link in the Rosenthal thread nevertheless, why does Rogers have Zambrano going in nearly every deal he purposes? Did Carlos not give him a piece of Bubble Gum one afternoon?

Think the inclusion of Prior is bad? Rogers purposes Zambrano be used in a trade for Tejada: http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/cs-051221rogers,1,6422343.column?coll=chi-sportsnew-hed Didn't also, amongst others, purpose a Zambrano- Ramirez (Manny) trade? What the hell is up with Rogers and trading Zambrano?

Hendry (JJ Press Conference): "Obviously we needed to shore up our defense and Jacque is a Gold Glove caliber OF additionally, and most obviously, he's got the quickest bat in Baseball. Meaning he'll swing faster and just as fast miss thereby, allowing patrons to buy that next beer and not have to concern themselves with those annoying base runners." There's no defense for the stupidity of this move, the only person this move makes sense to is Dusty. Which of course, makes perfect sense.

The most disappointing aspect of signing Jones or Encarncion or Wilson is Hendry truly believes he's improving the team. I agree with the earlier post he's lost or better yet, clueless.

I wouldn't call it typical pessimism. Encarnacion fits the Hendry model to a T. Typical pessimism would be saying if the Cubs traded for Tejada he'd come here and suck, or if the Cards got JJones, he'd magically be awesome. And I do believe there have been rumors that the Cubs looked into trading for him in the past. What of Hendry' man love for Preston Wilson? I'm thinking if Jones is off the market, Wilson may be the next target.

MLB.com It’s great in that it may remove Jones as a possibility for the Cubs but, not the Cardinals!!! Who knows, maybe Jones will be as bad in St Louis as he was in Minnesota. But, I'm calling it now, if Jones signs with the Cardinals, he put up the inexplicable .950-1.000 OPS in 2006. Just once I'd like to see someone they sign off the scrap heap blow up in their faces, just once.

So, he's a lot like Semrau? Well that is argueable. At first glance that is what I thought too, but it seems like they are going in different directions. Cole is moving up according to most services after he finally played in AAU this summer. Semrau was moving down. That siad I am confident that both will provide us with some nice things. Semrau had a nice game against the area's 7th ranked team: http://www.cleveland.com/hssports/basketball/ Summary for those who do not wish to register: 25 and 16