BigbadB

I liked it. I don't dislike Neifi. I just don't like him on the Cubs.

Wily Mo was never going to be an everyday player with Boston. Ortiz is the DH, and he won't be sitting much. Manny is in LF, and he's not sitting. Crisp is the CF and he'll play everyday. That leaves RF, and Trot is not only a hometown favorite, he's the lefty side of a left/right platoon, and there's more righty starters than lefty. Good news is Wily Mo will probably start when Randy Johnson and Johan Santana are on the mound. :D

LOL. I would be okay with either, also. And I agree that it's too early in the season to make any assumptions.

That is a judgement call. There are only 2 kinds -- judgement calls and those from the rulebook. It's the same as if a runner is thrown out at first by a step and the ump blows it. It was in his judgement that the batter was safe, therefore no out is recorded. An example of the other type is if one of the umps forgets about the infield fly rule and starts calling the wrong people safe and the wrong guy out. Historically, that call would have stood as it was his call to make. Like I said, I don't know what changed and why, but they're starting to overturn each other more frequently. Okay, so an umpire who didn't have a good angle that makes a call, and that call is overturned by an umpire who had a clear view of the play is a "judgment call"? I would think the umpire who had a clear view to make the correct call would be obligated to reverse the call. On the first day of the year, LoDuca pretended to have had the ball in his grasp on the play at the plate. The home plate umpire's view was blocked. Let's just say that the 1b umpire came down the line a little bit, and from where he was positioned, he could see the ball clearly lying on the ground. It would only be a "judgment call" in this instance to reverse the original call? Can the umpire turn his back and walk away when he knows for certain the wrong call was made? By the way, winning games is important and everything, but it was a total lack of integrity on LoDuca's part to pretend like he had that ball all along. It's cheating. Plain and simple. It sets a poor example for every young kid wanting to play the game the right way. Do whatever you have to do to win is what it has come down to. I love this game, but I'm not nearly as enamored with how the game is played anymore. Professional is not really an accurate word to describe some of these guys.

Well, by all counts, I totally agree that a line up with Neifi is much worse off than a line up without. My argument wasn't necessarily that, but moreso that if he has to play, bottom of the order would give the Cubs better opportunities to score runs at the top and middle of the order. If it's about whether Murton or Walker bat 2nd or 7th, I agree that there isn't going to be much of a difference in runs scored over the course of a season. If it's Neifi and Walker or Murton, positioning in the line up can definitely be impacted. You know my feelings on OBP.

I wouldn't read too much into that. The ump's strikezone was tiny. So of the 2 games the Cubs have played this year we can assume that the other 160 are going to be like the 2nd game? I think the 2nd game is a closer reflection of what to expect. Pitchers are not in midseason form. Do you expect Zambrano to be as sloppy as he was in game 1 all season long? I sure don't. So by game 2 they are in midseason form and the rest of the season will be like game 2. OK I get it. Now it appears you are being argumentative for the sake of being argumentative. The Cubs scored 16 runs in game 1 and they scored 6 runs in game 2. Over the couse of the season, do you think the Cubs will average closer to 16 runs scored, or 6 runs? No, pitchers will not be in midseason form in game 2.

Um, I most certainly will not "get over it". Please don't ask me to. Why don't you whine about water being wet while you're at it. Neifi is on the team, with a 2 year contract no less. He's not going to ride the pine for 162+ games. I didn't sign him to that contract. If the government decides to take 70% of your income, are you going to simply smile and just "get over it". I like the fact that water is wet, so there is nothing to whine about there. But, if it was dry, you bet I'd be in line to complain. Just because you are pleased as punch that Neifi is on the team for the next two years doesn't mean we should all conform to how you feel. It's unreasonable to even think this should be the case.

Um, I most certainly will not "get over it". Please don't ask me to.

I don't buy it. I'd love for someone to prove to me that the Cubs wouldn't have scored many more runs last year if Derrek Lee and Aramis Ramirez had better hitters hitting 1/2 in the order all season long. No guy with as many or more XBH's had less RBI's than Derrek Lee last year. And it wasn't even close. I'd be interested to see how far back Derrek Lee finished in the RBI race among 3rd place hitters who have had as high of a batting average or higher as he did in 2005. 1 game. Not that much impact, but could potentially have an impact. Over the couse of a season, like last year, huge impact.

I wouldn't read too much into that. The ump's strikezone was tiny. So of the 2 games the Cubs have played this year we can assume that the other 160 are going to be like the 2nd game? I think the 2nd game is a closer reflection of what to expect. Pitchers are not in midseason form. Do you expect Zambrano to be as sloppy as he was in game 1 all season long? I sure don't.

One of the big reasons I'm not fond of first pitch swinging, is because for every out made on a first pitch swing, you've just extended the starting pitcher's outing. There are 27 outs in a game. What's the average amount of hits/walks/HBP in a game? 10? 12? Probably closer to 12. 12 would add up to a 1.33 WHIP, so that sounds pretty good. That's now 39 trips to the plate average. 3 pitches per at bat, minimum, and this pitcher is gased. Let's just assume that the opposing pitcher is Cy Young. If Cubs hitters make 27 outs on 27 pitches, you'll never get Cy out of the game. If each hitter sees 54 pitches (27 x 2), now you're only at 54. Double it again for an average of 108 (or 4 pitches per at bat), which includes ZERO at bats where someone reached base, and Cy is going to be leaving the game early. The earlier you get the starter out of the game, the better chance you give the offense. Outside of the set up man and the closer, who are pretty much money on most teams, the rest of the bullpen are a bunch of guys not good enough to start, and not good enough to secure the best spots in the pen. I watched crap pitchers go late in games against the Cubs because their pitch count was extremely low. I'm not saying it should always be that way, or hitters should always let the first 1 or 2 go right on by. If you go back through last years game logs, you will find an eerily similar pattern where the Cubs starter left earlier in games than the opponents starters, and a lot of runs scored on the Cub bullpen in those games. Why do Cub pitchers get knocked out so early, so often? The other team is being patient and letting the pitcher throw more pitches. I'd like nothing more than to see the opposing team swing at the first pitch against Zambrano in every at bat. But, the sooner the opposing team can get Zambrano out of the game, the better their odds. Pile up the pitch counts and hope he runs out of gas in the 5th or 6th. Meanwhile, Casey Daigle (who?) and whoever else looked like Cy Young against the Cubs recently pitch late into a game and we don't see the other teams crappy relievers. It's not foolproof, but the Cubs seem to be to the extreme opposite of this philosophy. The pitching staff walks too many guys, and the offense swings too early in counts too often. I'll never knock Lee or Aramis for first pitch swinging, since they are premier hitters. Everyone else should be waiting on "their" pitch, not swinging at the "pitchers" pitch.

What's a judgment call? In the game last night, the 2b made the wrong call. Another umpire may have clearly seen the ball bounce off the turf before it went in Duffy's glove. That's not a judgment call. That's a reversal of an incorrect call.

Still not 100% proof, but considering he did it over and over and over again last year, I have no reason to believe he wouldn't do it again this year.

And here all along I thought he was only starting because of his outstanding ability to hit into double plays. Neifi Perez= extremely poor on base percentage, poor plate discipline, ground ball hitter to the extreme, little to no power. These are NOT the type of characteristics you want hitting 2nd in your line up. Ever. Period. 2nd is also not where you hide a guy in your line up when they have these characteristics. If the only reason Neifi is starting at 2b is because of his defense, why will he be batting 2nd in the order? Sounds to me as though Dusty thinks he can contribute offensively.

We were 4-14 against the Mets in 1985. They flat-out owned us that year. That was back in the glory days before the NL Central. The Mets were probably more hated as rivals than the Cardinals. People your age will probably never appreciate the hatred people my age and older hold for the Mets. A lot of it has gone away since the Central was added, but I still remember those days. I just hate the Mets because they are a New York team and I tend to despise all teams from New York in any sport. I understand it's not the same thing. Read up on the 1969 baseball season to get the full effect of Met hatred among elder Chicago fans. It was the one true chance for guys like Ernie Banks, Billy Williams, Ron Santo, Fergie Jenkins and Randy Hundley to make the playoffs and possibly win a World Series. There are a lot of years of service with the Cubs for the names listed above. It's a shame they never reached the promised land. That was a good Cubs team.

Giles will play about 15 games in wonderful Coors Field, also. :wink:

I'm not complaining.

I'm pleased they made the right call. Jim Tracy isn't. He got tossed.

I'll be right on the money when Dusty doesn't double switch Neifi out of the game. He may double switch Neifi over to SS, and have Hairston take over at 2nd, but Neifi will not come out of the game. Book it!

I like how they announce Neifi as the starter way in advance, as if people will come running to Wrigley from all directions attempting to get tickets to see Neifi play.

Matt Lawton is currently on suspension from the league. When he comes back, I don't believe he'll be anything more than a bench guy, and a very limited one at that. Seattle has Carl Everett at DH and he's a pinch hitter. Ibanez, Reed and Ichiro in the OF make Lawton a poor fantasy player. Jeremy Reed might be available. Some of those young guys in Florida look pretty speedy, like Abercrombie. I doubt if Freel is available, but he'll likely get his regular starting job back once the Cincinnati manager realizes how bad Womack is. Luis Castillo has been skipped over in many fantasy leagues. If Murton is available, he'll probably get some decent steals this year while providing a decent bat. Aaron Miles? Milton Bradley? Gathright is a speed demon in Tampa, and he's starting in CF until Baldelli comes off the DL.

Holy dog poop, Batman. Shelton is a stud. I hadn't yet checked the Roadkill game center before commenting on Shelton. 30 points already this season! :shock:

One other thing I might point out is that a back up catcher is probably last on my list when it comes to reserves. They sit more than most regulars, and their teams off day could fall on the same day as your regular starting catcher, so you might find it rare that you ever have a need for a back up catcher. How deep is your bench? I try to go with back up at every other position and carry a couple of extra pitchers, depending on how many bench spots your league allows.

Doumit just crushed a 2 run homer. He's got power, and he's a switch hitter.

Darned if you do and darned if you don't. In this case, you have a good catcher and I'd just stick with him. If you want a back up catcher, consider one that is already a free agent and maybe got overlooked? Danny Ardoin is the starter in Colorado, and Colorado is a great hitters park. Watch some of these other young kids like Mathis in Anaheim, Willingham in Florida, Doumit in Pittsburgh, etc... Once that high ranking waiver claim is gone, you'll probably never get back to that spot. There is always a good chance that Barrett doesn't get claimed. If he becomes a free agent, you can pick him up at that time without losing your waiver position. Then, when someone dumps a "really" good player, you will be higher up in the pecking order. Besides, you really don't know how much playing time Blanco will get this year. He really had a spike in games caught last year, and with Dusty, you just never know.