BigbadB

Fixed. Haha. I stand corrected.

This and many other games should have been scheduled as day games to begin with. With the need to complete all the late season games, it would make sense that a get away day be scheduled early enough that IF there was a threat of poor weather, the game has a chance to finish that same day. That, plus the potential to schedule 2 on Thursday if one of the previous games got rained out. MLB needs to think about this stuff when they design schedules.

I think you'd be surprised how many chances Lou will be willing to give Howry. I could be wrong though. You might be right. However, I hold out hope that Howry is done with the Cubs at the end of this season, so there is zero incentive to give him a playoff roster spot. He showed me nothing last night, just like he showed me nothing for most of the year.

Howry has played his way OFF the playoff roster, IMO. If they just make that move, I don't really care how the guys align. I prefer the starter gets us to the 8th inning each game, so we only need Marmol/Wood.

There is never a reason to get personal when trying to have a debate. Everyone can please just stop that now. Thanks in advance.

That's been my strongest argument. He's a #8 hitter. Not a #2. Lou has used him in the #8 spot this season, so it's not like it's never happened. Just not enough. DeRosa is ideal in the #2 spot, actually. Because I don't want my #2 guy bunting the lead off guy over (except in the most rare of occasions). I want the big inning. Soriano, DeRosa, Lee, Ramirez, Soto, Edmonds/Johnson, Fukudome, Theriot. Here you have two of your best OBP guys batting in front of Soriano, DeRosa, Lee and Ramirez. And it works. Soriano has pretty good RBI totals in his normal top of the order slot. He would probably lead the team today if he wasn't injured. Put your best hitters at the top of the order and slot the other guys at the bottom.

Lee's is surely worse. Per PA, not per opportunity. Where did you find per opportunity numbers? He's probably looking at PA with runners on first with less than 2 outs. Wait, do they actually provide that stat?

I think most everyone here agrees with this as well. The argument that I see being made is that Cedeno has never really had the opportunity to prove he can do more than Theriot. Part time at bats just don't qualify as a legit chance. Where Theriot has improved in OBP, he's lost in SLG. I still value him a little more today than I did prior to the start of the season, but if there was a position I'd like to see upgraded this offseason, SS is it. If Theriot has increased his trade value among the "old boys network" and he can help net us that upgrade, I'd be even more pleased. Cedeno has pretty much grown into a lost cause at this point. I think he's now cast permanently into a utility role, and it's a little sad, IMO. The one legit chance he got was when he was really too young and inexperienced to get that chance, and he hasn't gotten one since.

Is there a scenario where the Cubs could end up playing the Dodgers in the NLCS, or only the NLDS? If it's only the NLDS, then I won't be able to go to the weekend games. I do have tickets if the Cubs go to Anaheim.

Enough, already.

You both need to take a pill. Do you really want to suffer a heart attack arguing about Theriot and Cedeno and then miss the entire 2008 postseason?

Ronny's IsoP (Isolated Power, SLG-BA) is .03 higher, and his IsoD (Isolated Discipline, OBP-BA) is .017. The power difference is basically the difference between Soto and Lee this year. The major difference right now between the two is that Theriot gets quite a few more singles, basically, to prop up the OBP and SLG with batting average. The OPS difference overall is quite minimal. I would almost always give a statistical advantage to the guy playing everyday over someone spot starting/pinch hitting on very rare occasions. Thus, I don't think it's all that fair to compare the two statistically. Looking closely at Cedeno's splits, his best month was directly following Spring Training, where he more than likely saw more regular at bats. As the season progressed, his stats trended downward as he saw less and less at bats. Granted, he most certainly wouldn't have been able to match what he did in March/April all season long, but it makes perfect sense that someone's timing starts deteriorating when they receive limited plate appearances over the course of a long season. With that said, there aren't many good utility infielders floating around and I don't know how much more anyone could expect from any replacement for Cedeno. I don't think anyone could have predicted what Fontenot has done this season, and I don't think you can predict that same production next year.

Good point, but I think Dunn was the 4th biggest deal behind Sabathia, Manny and Harden/Gaudin In hindsight, I'd probably agree. In measuring what each player brought to their respective teams before the moves were made, I still think Sabathia and Dunn were arguably the two biggest deadline deals. The key word in my last post was "arguably", btw. :wink: So, let's argue.

Arguably the two biggest deadline deals were Sabathia and Dunn, and it appears as though both teams will be at home watching the playoffs.

Man, you just ruined the one thing I actually liked about Missouri.

I'll admit that Theriot has been better than Cedeno this year, but that doesn't mean the Cubs shouldn't look to upgrade the SS position this offseason. While Theriot does have a good OBP, he suffers in a lot of other areas to the point he becomes replaceable. His range is average and his arm is weak. He's nothing special on the basepaths and he's second on the team in GIDP's. His lack of power is probably the most noteworthy stat of all. I'm not asking for HR's here. 19 doubles is beyond pathetic. Heck, he should have 19 doubles just from stretching long singles with his speed. Maybe most of the doubles he does have are from that, but that further exaggerates the lack of power. The craptacularness of Neifi Perez managed 33 doubles with the Cubs in 2005. Neifi also had nearly twice as many XBH's than Theriot has this year. The Cubs don't just have a black hole at SS at the major league level. They have one all through the minors as well. And it's been that way for years and years. If there is any one position I would like to see an upgrade this offseason, SS is #1 on my list.

He could probably use the business, too. :D

After watching Dusty Baker at the helm, I would have jumped for joy if the Cubs named a dead parrot as their new manager. I liked the idea of Lou, but I did have concerns about the veteran fetish in Tampa. I recall them bringing in Robbie Alomar and a few other older than dirt and declining skilled players when they didn't need to. Lou said all the right things going into his first season, and I bought in completely.

I like the day games. The sooner they play each day, the better. It keeps the anxiety levels in check.

The comments on that site are quite hilarious.

Agreed. Gomez is on a playoff hopeful, too.

So I'm browsing my minor league players on CBS, and occasionally I peak at the recent trades made involving the player I am looking at, and I ran across this recent trade: Clay Buchholz JD Drew Ryan Feierabend Kila Ka'aihue Carlos Marmol Brandon McCarthey Michael Saunders Max Scherzer Travis Snider Chris Tillman For: Ty Wiggington What the hell kind of league makes trades like that? :scratch: At least we now know that Ty Wiggington's mom plays fantasy baseball.

Greinke doesn't appear to have been beaten up at this point. Very modest IP totals.

There are a ton of teams that have way more talent than we do to offer up for Peavy. Peavy isn't realistic, and I doubt they'd deal him anyway. Greene's value couldn't be any lower than it is right now. I think they'd like to move him. San Diego wants to get fast since they can't hit home runs in that spacious park.

I'm not worried about Cincinnati. They get rid of their players when they start getting expensive. They will basically have a 1 year window to be good, most likely under a new manager. That manager will basically have to create a miracle like Maddon has done with Tampa. The other part of all that young talent in Cincy is that they probably won't have the money to pick up the necessary parts to make them an all around good team.