RynoRules

That brings up the most interesting question: Would you rather "clean-out" the system for Sabathia or send Cedeno and a pitching prospect (Marshall?) for Burnett?

Bruce, what is the prevailing opinion around baseball in terms of where the strength of the system lies? High ceiling and raw in the lower levels seems to be the answer, rather than refined and close to ML-ready like the Brewers.

Ozzie Smith career: .262 / .337 / .328 / 87 OPS-plus Scooter career: .273 / .351 / .355 / 93

Congrats Kosuke!!!

And only idiots think the above-post is clever.

Fukudome's salary dictates what expectations should be. Huh? So Kosuke's game should go from high OBP and 20 HR's to Dunn-like power simply because someone chose to pay him big money? Sounds like the one(s) you should be criticizing are the guy(s) who set the mkt price for OF'ers of his skill level and then decided to compound the issue by continuing to pay it. Its not Koskue's fault that he got the contract he did. Money won't magically change what he is capable of.

Margaritas. Lots of them. :banghead:

Everyone is entitled to a bad day.

Doc Rivers? Give the Bulls Garnett, Pierce, and Ray Ray and you can bring in one of the janitors to coach. Well you just proved my own point for me. The NBA is more about the players than it is the coach. You have to have talent. By the way, Doc Rivers won Coach of the Year without Garnett, Pierce, and Ray Ray, with no prior experience. He also never got out of the first round until he was handed a ready-made championship roster. I think if you're going to make this argument you should find a better example. I definitely agree the NBA is more about the players than the coach. But we're in a much different situation than the Celtics. And again -- I'm hoping Del Negro succeeds as much as the next guy. The question is whether sitting here, not knowing how anything will turn out, was there really no better option out there than Vinny? Better examples huh? How bout Larry Bird, Pat Riley had very very very little experience coaching(like a half season at the most), and Phil Jackson certainly wasnt Mr Experience. Not that I care that much about what you guys are debating, but just to set the record straight, Phil had significantly more experience than Del Negro when he took over in 1989. He had been the head coach of the Albany Patroons for several years (where he won a CBA title) and was on the bench with Collins as an assistant for a few more.

The guy is OPS'ing .800 after over 1/2 of his first ML season. He does a very nice job in the OF. His OBP is hovering around .400. I think some people's expectations for Kosuke are a bit over the top. Let's give him some time to adjust to ML pitching.

I read on ESPN's Rumor Central that the Jays are not happy with their SS's and will be looking for one in any Burnett deal. Mr. Cedeno, your table is ready.

Meh. Why waste time and prospects with/for relievers? Not a big deal, but still. And I am not enamored with Fuentes' peripherals this season.

Cue the music: "Its springtime for Hitler and Germany...."

Not a horrendous month. Not a good one either. 15-12 looks about right with those splits. Soriano and Z probably would have been good for one more win each.

Congrats to one my all-time favorite Cubs. Get back safe!

Baron Davis and Elton Brand opted out of their contracts last night. This could create another trading partner or two for the Bulls - Hinrich to Golden State? To the Clippers? Brand is likely to re-sign with LA.

I am peeved we got swept by one of our rivals. That said, if the Cubs were red hot all season long they'd finish with 110-120 wins. Pretty unrealistic. If they get healthy and still play badly, then I will worry. Let's just play .500-.525 ball until the ASB and regroup.

Unless my eyes deceive me, he thinks they are no. 2.

I think a lot of this depends on how you define your expectations. If you think the Lopez twins are the second coming of Russell and Chamberlin (or even Shaq and Mourning) simply b/c they were drafted in the first round, you are quite obviously living in the Twilight Zone. They are each likely to be role players, in spite of their first round status. Remember: draft picks are all relative. You can't compare, say Oliwakandi being picked no. 1 to Duncan being picked no. 1. Its all relative to who else was available in that particular year. Moreover, the ten or so drafts that took place before the NBA put in the minimum age rule were unique (and will remain so) in history, what with the influx of high schoolers and international players. Point is, its not an exact science when comparing drafts to each other, particulalry from era to era.

Kaman is not a stiff. He's a solid ballplayer.

Theriot takes more pitches and gets on base more often than Ward does... should he start hitting 4th? That said, nice at bat by Ward there. Ward hits for more power than Theriot and hits lefthanded (Vazquez is a righty). Care to go another round?

Ward takes pitches and gets on base. he's followed by our best hitter. Good move putting him there.

Its a good move.

NICE I love the guys on our corners.

Give Big D a chance.