RynoRules

Wow, I didn't know Craig Wilson could catch. How big is that you say? What happens on the days Henry Blanco starts? Barrett sits on the bench and goes unused. Or occasionally, instead of getting the full day off behind the plate, Dusty puts him in for the late innings to get his bat in the game. Which is fine, except it defeats the purpose of resting your primary catcher. If you have Wilson though, who can be your 3rd catcher, now things change. On days Blanco starts, you can give Barrett the time off from the tools of ignorance. BUT, you can use him confidently as a pinch-hitter off the bench. Put that bat to use. The Cub bench instantly gets better. I'm really liking the sound of this Walker for Wilson thing now. Do it. You dont want Wilson back there unless it is an emergency. Yes he was drafted as a catcher, by Toronto, and the Pirates almost got him killed trying to make him one. He has a horrible "POP" time and is poor defensively. On the bright side he is an idiot in the truest sense of the word and will run through a brick wall because that is how you play, as long as someone will pat him on the back afterwards. :roll: You grow up next to him or something? No did his laundry for two seasons in the minors. ARams too. Which guy had worse b.o.? I am guessing Wilson. :compress:

and working in underwriting is exactly the same as being on a baseball team. I think his point - that co-workers with poor attitudes can have a negative effect on the work environment - is universal. How much of an effect I think depends not only the type of employment but also on how beligerent or nasty the person is.

I really like Matty, but I have to agree.

if this deal does go down, the lineup would (preferably?) be: Pierre Hairston Lee ARam Jones/Wilson Murton Barrett Cedeno If this is indeed the projected lineup, I'd really like to figure a way to get Tejada (w/out giving up Prior). I just am not comfortable with that platoon filling the 5th spot behind our two best hitters.

100% agree. Aye.

They both work there. Levine and Silverman often snipe at each other. Silverman is usually a sensationalist blowhard, IMO, but I appreciate that he takes Levine to task for his most glaring mistakes. He's made many recently.

Can we get a "correspondent" at the Cubs convention? You know, get a feel for the mob? That would be awesome.

OK, now they are just making fun of the Ojeda signing and taking phone calls. I thought they might bring Levine on to give him the business.

Talk us through the commercials! Geez! What kinda pbp is this? :lol: See my sig!!! :D

He's savaging them as I write this. Paraphrasing: On Levine: First he said that Prior, Wood and Z are untouchable and there is no way that they are being traded (in the context of an Abreu deal). Now he reports that Prior is being floated in the Tejada deal, and acts like this was always the plan. On Hendry and the Cubs: What is their plan? They trade Sammy but had no plan to replace him and we wind up w/ Jones. They target Furcal and miss. Supposedly Cedeno is a can't miss SS, yet they are now seeking Tejada to replace him, and Walker is still on the team. More to come after the commercial break.

Agreed. I think we are distingusihing the contract Jones got from the one Wilson has apparently recieved.

Two words: Darren Dreifort

IMO, that's a perfect comparison in terms of skill set. And yes, Andre's career was watered down by playing on the rug in Olympic Stadium.

Yup. Hehad a good year last year, though his "power" nos. were down: http://www.baseballprospectus.com/dt/kennead01.shtml

Is it me, or are there fewer and fewer of those in MLB?

Agreed. I do have fond memories of Baylor using him as a "defensive replacement" at 3B. Ah, the good ol' days.

Does anyone know if Wilson is known as a pull hitter? If so, he could have some fun with those Little League dimensions in LF. Nice job by the Stros here, at least compared to what we did with Jones.

If Hendry is going to do all of that to get Clement here, I think it says a lot about Wood's status, or it could be that Prior really is a piece of the Tejada deal. Discuss.

Agreed. And I do not think the fact that he did not top 400 HRs should matter. There are OFers that did not but are in the HOF. Different era, different standard, IMO.

Adam Greenberg was on his way to becoming one of the game's best fourth outfielders? The fact that not a single team claimed him a few weeks ago strongly suggests otherwise and is telling of how much we (Cubs fans) overvalue our own guys at times. Seriously. Adam Greenberg. Perfect example. I've seen half-a-dozen threads started about the pending fate of Adam Greenberg. Who cares? If he sniffs a starting position in the majors for a full season at any point in his career, I'll name my next child LaRussa or Pujols. Witness!!!! But seriously, I agree that Greeny is a bit overrated on this bd.

Yeah, and his last good year against lefties was 2004. The last time before that was 2003. The last time before that was 2002... and so on. His last good year was '96? . how was 96 good (.838 ops) and 2002 (.831) not good? I always thought an .831 ops for a CFer was pretty good (2002) .790 in 03 and .794 in 04. League average in 2004 was .752. Good enough for a fourth OFer in my book. Add in the facts that his splits against lefties are even better, I don't think its terrible that they signed him to a minor league contract. I was looking mainly at his OBPs in light of the fact that he has mainly been a leadoff hitter during his career. It was illustrative, IMO, of why I'd blow my top if he were to start over Murton.

Could be. Love your sig, BTW.

Do you really think the Mets would deal Diaz for Walker? Does Omar covet Walker that much? I really doubt it, but they do want to get rid of Kaz. And the OF is still somewhat cluttered. I could see them dealing Diaz if they end up with Manny, or I could see them dealing him if they could get some pitching in return. Diaz had somewhat of a disappointing season in 2005. He was sent down for a month and a half, and didn't do any better upon his return. In the NY media and many fans eyes, he is way down the ladder in terms of importance to the team, with an obvious fixation on bigger names. Reyes and Wright are the focus as far as youth in concerned, while Delgado, Beltran and Floyd are the big bats they are counting on to complement the youth. If you took back Matsui, and gave them a 2B they could count on for the season, then I think you could start talking about Diaz if you threw something else into the mix. They like him, but they aren't in love with him. I don't see the Cubs as being interested in Matsui in any way. They are trying to move Walker to help clear out room at that spot so I'd really doubt they would want an overpayed guy to take his place. Interesting info on Diaz. If the Mets don't get Manny would they still have any urge to still move Diaz? I'd probably do Walk and CPatt for Matsui and Diaz, plus cash. Two guys get the change of scenery they need and the other two (Walk and Diaz) is a swap of vet. value for young potential. Diaz will only be 24. Problem is that you will have a log jam in the OF.

Bobby Hill is most similar at age 27 to Patsy Gharrity. :shock: I hope that's a dude. :D I guess its 20-20 hindsite, but I am not positive that Hill is/was a head-and-shoulders better pro than Harris was in 03'. Plus, sending him back down to the minors may have allowed him to maintain his value enough such that the Ramirez-Lofton deal got done. Had he languished on the bench in Chicago, his value might have dropped. Its probably too close to call. In Grissom's case, there seem to be better options. You don't think Hill was better than this: .183/.255/.229/.484 That's what Harris put up in around 145 PA's. You'd be very hard pressed to find someone worse. Point taken. But how did Harris do in 2002, the year before he made the team?: .305 / .355 / .411 Plus, he played well for FL after we released him in 03': .286 .412 .286 Point is, I don't think anyone could have predicted that large a decline. well, i think you'll have to admit that it's someone's fault. either hendry for signing him or dusty for playing him everyday. you can't excuse blame for both in this instance. imo, they both suck. You took the words right out of mouth. I blame Dusty for how he used him. I know, I know: what other 3B options did he have? I get that. But Lenny Harris has never been a every day player, and therefore Dusty extinguished what makes him valuable by trotting him out there every day. So instead of Bellhorn sucking and Harris doing a good job off the bench, he benches Bellhorn and made Harris the starter, causing them both to suck. I do not blame JH.

Bobby Hill is most similar at age 27 to Patsy Gharrity. :shock: I hope that's a dude. :D I guess its 20-20 hindsite, but I am not positive that Hill is/was a head-and-shoulders better pro than Harris was in 03'. Plus, sending him back down to the minors may have allowed him to maintain his value enough such that the Ramirez-Lofton deal got done. Had he languished on the bench in Chicago, his value might have dropped. Its probably too close to call. In Grissom's case, there seem to be better options. You don't think Hill was better than this: .183/.255/.229/.484 That's what Harris put up in around 145 PA's. You'd be very hard pressed to find someone worse. Point taken. But how did Harris do in 2002, the year before he made the team?: .305 / .355 / .411 Plus, he played well for FL after we released him in 03': .286 .412 .286 Point is, I don't think anyone could have predicted that large a decline.