Blizzau

The Rat. "It could be, it might be, it is - a home run for Anthony Rizzo the Rat!" Nice ring to it, no?

I know there was a posting awhile ago about other teams' message boards, but I couldn't find it... I'm searching for a great (NSBB-style, if possible - a tall order!) message board for the Colorado Rockies. Anyone have a suggestion? Thanks!

that, or he's flattered that a fellow countryman and possible future hall of famer wants to wear that number in tribute to him. Really?!?! I must have missed some part of Vizquel's career that projects him as a future HOFer. That term is thrown own way too liberally, IMO.

Sarge Jr. is delusional: 1) He can be top-line?! At 35? 2) The money won't be an issue? If Hendry goes for this (he won't), get your pitchforks ready...

But does Manny Acta hate Bradley? ;)

I did, and it was the first logical, data-driven argument in this thread. People all have different, qualitative analyses based on their personal experiences. It was refreshing to see data supporting an argument.

How about adding Brett Myers and Brian Giles to the list for beating the crap out of women? And anyone else who has done that, for that matter.

3B: Alex Rodriguez, the most overrated, bush-league tool in MLB. Wait, how is A-Rod overrated? A-Rod is consistently named by the media - and many fans - as the greatest player of our time, and some argue that he is the greatest of all time since he stands a good chance of breaking the all-time home run record. Rodriguez has put up outstanding numbers, but a lot of that is arguably steroid-induced. And then there's the post-season argument, which my friend, the Yankee fan, would surely want me to bring up... But since we don't make "clutch" arguments, I'll just stop typing now. 8-[

3B: Alex Rodriguez, the most overrated, bush-league tool in MLB.

Almost all of them. People lie in court all the time. It's just not big enough to go after unless the govt. wants to send a message. You know a lot of people that have lied in front of a Grand Jury? Court and Grand Jury are not the same thing. So someone is going to lie to a grand jury but not in court or vice versa? I don't know anyone personally whose even testified before a grand jury, but it pretty much stands to reason that someone would lie to both. A grand jury is simply a fact finding body in which the prosecution must show that there is enough evidence to go forward to a trial, there is nothing special about it. People can go to jail for lying in court too. When a U.S. attorney is considering charging someone with a federal crime, he or she convenes a grand jury. There's a much greater chance that a U.S. attorney will file perjury charges against someone for lying under oath in a federal proceeding than the local D.A. will file a perjury charge in a local matter. Therefore, there is also a much greater chance that an individual will go to jail for lying to a Grand Jury than a local court. Lying to any court has risks. Lying to a Grand Jury is just plain stupid. No there is not. Grand Jury is not specific to Federal cases. All defendants charged in felony cases are entitled to a grad jury (or preliminary hearing, same difference). Most of the time this right is waved. Sometimes people want to know what evidence the state has so they want a grand jury. Stop trying to make it out that Bonds did something that no one else would do in his shoes. And stop pretending that they aren't going after him b/c he's Barry Bonds. We'll have to wait and see what happens with Roger Clemens, but my guess will be nothing. CubinNY's understanding of a grand jury is flawed. I served on one for 18 months, and all we heard were federal cases. All case names began with "U.S. v. _________". States cannot convene a grand jury. A preliminary hearing is different altogether; I had one of those for a misdemeanor as a young adult (Minor in Possession of alcohol). BIG difference between chatting with a judge and being indicted - and then committing perjury! - by a grand jury.

It sticks in my mind it's usually around the end of July. Per the Hall of Fame web site: 2009: July 24-27, with Induction Ceremonies on Sunday, July 26 Also, here is the list of the first-time "competition" against Rickey: Jay Bell, David Cone, Ron Gant, Mark Grace, Rickey Henderson, Jesse Orosco, Dan Plesac, Greg Vaughn, Mo Vaughn, Matt Williams. I'm crossing my fingers for an induction class of Henderson and Hawk. I might as well book my ticket now. By the way, why did so many sportswriters apparently dislike Rickey? He seems like a complete weirdo, but is there more to their relationship that I don't know about?

When I saw the title of this thread, I thought it was a joke. For Rickey not to make the HOF on his first shot would be a mockery of honoring baseball achievement. (Note: Rickey was my favorite player when growing up, so I may be somewhat biased). I'm going to bank on those sports writers respecting everything that Rickey did for the game. Assuming he does make it, does anyone know when his induction ceremony will be? I've never been to Cooperstown, and have always said that my first visit would occur when Rickey Henderson enters the Hall of Fame.

I noticed quite a few comments providing opinions of better options than Griffey, but that doesn't address the question about management potentially being interested in Griffey. Please note that the original question posed was, "Do you think management believes he could still be productive?" In other words, is he on the Cubs radar??? (Not saying that he should be.)

Has anyone heard rumblings of where Ken Griffey, Jr. might end up? I ask because he's a left-handed RF whom Hendry has coveted in the past. Sure, he's past his prime, but do you think management believes he could still be productive? He would probably be relatively cheap at this point in his career. An outfield of Soriano/Fukudome/Griffey would actually be pretty solid defensively, despite the borderline train wreck in LF. If the Cubs do target Griffey for RF, I imagine they would make another significant position player move to help beef up the offense. Thoughts?

Does anyone else see Olsen being packaged with D. Lee in a deal to SD for Jake Peavy? If that were to happen, what would the Cubs do at 1B? DeRosa? Free agent? Trade?

Per CBS Sportsline: "When Padres team doctors Heinz Hoenecke and Jan Fronek performed the latest surgery, they found a completely different injury when the capsule in Prior's shoulder had been torn away from the bone. It is called HAGL -- a humeral avulsion of the glenohumeral ligaments. "Obviously it's frustrating," Prior said. "I was throwing the ball well and I was going in the right direction. I didn't really expect this. One pitch, and it came out of nowhere." Prior will try to return at some point in 2009, but he is not worth owning in any Fantasy format at this time. (Updated 06/08/2008)." I read elsewhere that an HAGL is extremely rare in baseball players, and that it's almost automatically considered a career-threatening injury. That it happened to Prior pretty much seals that deal, IMO.

Thanks for the updates, guys/gals! Sebathia to the Brewers sounds kind of scary. Let's hope we keep progressing and roll forward once Soriano and Wood come back...

Howdy, folks. I've been in Japan for the last month, and although the coverage over there was great of Japanese MLB ballplayers (I probably saw ever pitch of every Ichiro or Fukudome at bat), I wasn't really able to follow the Cubs. Could you give me the highlights and low-lights from the last month or so? I know that we got Harden and that Murton and Gallagher left. Sounds like we finally sold high with someone (that would be Gallagher, obviously). Sean's dad, we hope you'll still stick around on this site. Anyway... Who's been better than expected? Worse? Any additional trade speculation prior to the deadline? Any significant injuries? How did the Cubs do in the All-Star game? Thanks for any info! I realize that some of this has probably been posted in multiple areas, but since time and internet access are currently an issue, I'd appreciate a brief summary of whatever you may deem important about the last month of Cubbie action. Thanks! By the way, if you ever get the chance to watch a ballgame in Japan, do it! What a riot.

Emoticons or links are very helpful to relay sarcasm. Without knowing about the firejoemorgan.com content, that post about mistrusting the Japanese seemed all too real. Maybe it's because blatant ignorance and racism are actually present throughout society. Unfortunately, I'm too used to hearing terms like "Japs" without seeing people bat an eye.

What an ignorant post. Does this poster not realize that Fukudome wasn't even alive during WW2? Even if he had been around, relations between Japan and the U.S. have drastically improved over the years, as Japan is now an ally of ours. Finally, if you're a Cubs fan, don't you root for your team to do well? To not do that because you dislike a player's nationality is incredibly petty, close-minded, racist, and simply pathetic.

1. Male or Female? Male 2. Have you always been a Cubs fan? No (started paying attention to them in 1989) If No, whose fan were you before? Tigers 3. Have you ever heard of the Curse before? Yes 4. Do you believe that there is a Curse preventing the Cubs from going to the World Series? No, but the media perpetuates superstition, which arguably applies added pressure to players who may try to prove that a curse does not exist. if Yes, do you think it can be broken? 5. Do you believe that some fans use the Curse as an excuse for the Cubs loses? Yes 6. What reasons can you give to explain why the Cubs haven't had a World Series win in 100 years? Poor player development and unclear, misguided organizational philosophy.

Did anyone hear if the Mets tendered Estrada a contact or not? Per Rotoworld, Estrada is a goner: http://www.nytimes.com/indexes/2007/12/02/style/t/index.html#pageName=02art.

Not this time around. I wonder why (someone, take it away). Because he's not a lefty bat! Way too easy.

It seems more accurate to say that fans have come to the conclusion that Cubs management is down on Murton, and are finally becoming realistic about his chances of staying in Chicago. I predict he'll be gone by Thursday...

Doesn't the fact that "he has had several chances with the big club" and blown those chances indicate that Ronnie cannot, indeed, hit in the Major Leagues? Your post seems self-contradictory. And for what it's worth, I believe he should only be a throw in when it comes to trades. He's had his chance, and it's time for someone else to apply for the SS opening.