BigbadB

Very well done. Bowling, billiards, darts, curling..... Sports! Seem 'em all on ESPN at one time or another too.....

Growing up in Central Illinois, I went to a 2 week computer class in Minneapolis back in the '80's. On the first day, the teacher said "let's take a break and go get a pop". I looked at her strangely and said "can you repeat that?" "Let's go get a pop". I was floored. When I finally figured out pop meant to go get a coke, it took me quite some time to quit laughing at her for using the term pop. I then returned to Central Illinois, where I would say "hey, if you are going for a pop, get me one too", to which I received all kinds of ribbing. I live in SoCal now. The other day I was sitting in a bar watching the Bears game, and a guy came to the bar and ordered 2 beers and a pop. I asked him if he was from Minnesota. Nope. North Dakota. Them Northerners sure do talk funny.

I would say so too, but Dusty is still managing this team and Neifi is not only on the roster, but getting paid like a starter.

I honestly think the Brewers might be a team to watch as well. You know, so many people are on the Brewer bandwagon, I think it might be another year before they take the next step. If I'm right, it makes 2006 even more important for us. I really think the Astros and Cards are going to come back to the pack a little bit this year. Without Clemens, they may dip hard. I just looked at Clemens game log for last year. He lost 5 games 1-0 (three in a row in April) last year and he didn't give up the run in any of those games. After Clemens' first 4 games in April last year, he had a 0.32 ERA and a 1-0 record. He shut out the other team 11 times last year in starts, and had a 5-0 record to show for it in those games. 6 no decisions. He gave up more than 5 hits in a start once in the first two months of the season. He gave up 8 hits or more in a game only 3 times all year. In his 8 losses, he gave up a total of 24 earned runs. A 3.00 ERA. He had 12 no decisions. He gave up 11 earned runs combined in those 12 games. Less runs than starts. He had at least 5 starts in every month last year, except September (4). September was the only month he gave up more than 10 earned runs for the month (12). He gave up 4 earned runs in April in 5 starts. (3 in one game. Cubs!) He gave up 7 earned runs in May in 6 starts. He gave up 7 earned runs in June in 5 starts. He gave up 5 earned runs in July in 5 starts. He gave up 8 earned runs in August in 6 starts. I already gave you September. He gave up 1 earned run in October in his one start (regular season) Who won the Cy Young? [-(

How enamored is Oakland with Bradley or Kotsay? I would think one of them ought to be available for the right price.

Considering his age, I'm sure he would have wanted at least three years. I agree. He would have wanted a 3 year deal. 3/45m would have made him happy to live anywhere for the next 3 years. Imagine what Giles in RF would have meant to this team..... Ah, nevermind. Imagining at this point only hurts.

To play wherever he was needed. Or to trade to a team that could use him if we didn't have room for him with all the offseason moves. I'd have brought him back as insurance.

Cleveland says they will play Nomar in RF if they get him. And why didn't the Cubs think of that? Or did Nomar flat out say no to the Cubs yet it is an option for the Indians? You can't ask me that question, because I can't answer it. My first offseason move was to get Nomar back as cheaply as possible.

I believe the compensation the Cubs received for Grady Little was the cold shoulder for Milton Bradley.

I think the asking price would start at Juan Pierre and Aramis Ramirez, meanwhile we take on Mike Lowell's contract along with Manny's. I would gut the farm system for him, and give up CPat Hairston, and the usual pen suspects, but Aramis stays. Would love to have Aram-Lee-Man-Ram..........Sound familiar?.........Edmonds-Pujols-Rolan And my guess is Boston would hang up the phone as soon as you said Aramis wasn't available.

Circumstantial evidence also points to the fact that there is no need to pick up and move your family if Team A is offering the same amount of money Team B is offering.

Pudz? I need help with that one.

Cleveland says they will play Nomar in RF if they get him.

I'll retire. Winning a WS in '06 would be exactly 1 more WS title than I ever expected to see out of this franchise in my lifetime. My grandfather (huge Cubs fan) passed away a few months ago at 85, and he never saw one. If they win a WS next year, I could care less if they fielded a team of 64 year old women in 2007. I'll always have the memory of 2006. My grandfather is 84 and they aren't sure he will make it to his 85th birthday. He loves his Cubs, as do most retired senior citizens in Illinois that don't like soap operas. :P

I think the asking price would start at Juan Pierre and Aramis Ramirez, meanwhile we take on Mike Lowell's contract along with Manny's.

Those are the kinds of moves we could have made instead of trading for Pierre. It seems lead off guys were all over this place this offseason, which makes offering 1 of them 10m a year for 5 years comical. Especially since we already have a prospect shortstop. If Hendry made Giles his major priority, he could have locked up the most difficult position to fill, which was also the biggest position of need, and cut costs elsewhere like lead off by working moves for CFers like Lofton, Michaels, Crisp, Gathright, Dave Roberts, etc....

We have nothing to offer for Manny straight up that Boston would want. I'm not sure we have what other teams would want in a 3 way, either.

I don't believe he signed with San Diego for considerably less than he was being offered from other teams. I believe all the offers were pretty much the same. There was a rumor about Toronto, but Toronto is not only in another country, it's in another league, it's in a division that has the Yankees and Boston, and it's about as far away from San Diego as he could possibly get. And, Toronto did deny the offers. I think Giles would have left San Diego for Atlanta, St. Louis, LA and/or Chicago or another team for a significant increase, like 15m. No one offered him that. We were one of the teams that could offer that. Apparently LA could have as well, but even they didn't have a significantly higher offer on the table. At least nothing like what they offered Furcal when they lost out on Giles.

Have 2, their small. They also have an infielder by that name.

I'm sure you've been to Petco, but seats anywhere are decent. Wherever you want to sit is fine with me. The seats 6 rows from the dugout when the Cubs were here last year were pretty good. :D The Padres local tv station zoomed in on the 4 of us with our Cub gear on late in that game while all the season ticket Padres fans were already gone, and stayed on us for about 30 seconds. Being in the bar business and the game televised in all those locations, I thought I'd never hear the end of the "hey, I saw you on tv. You were at the game" comments. That was months ago, and I still run into people who saved that line for me.

Sounds great. Let me know if and/or when you need some cash. Go Liechtenstein!! They are in it, right? :D

Ha! Are you implying Tejada is something less than "someone decent"? That's the way I read it. :D

How exactly will this be going down? My wife would kill me if she didn't go to any of the games. If the games aren't that far apart on Saturday, I'd like to go to both of them. I can probably move any tickets you buy that you can't use. I've been to games with Tim, so he can vouge for me as far as whether I'm good for my part of tickets. Heck, if I have someone to go to the games with, I'll go to all 3. I don't care. Get 3 or 4 tickets per game together. We can sort it out later. Do season ticket holders get any special deals on tickets? I have friends with season tickets to Padres games.

Higginson's contract is done, finally. I think his career is done as well, though.

I loved reading Royko. Peoria Journal Star had a guy who was quickly gaining popularity for telling it like it is in a Roykoesque sorta way, but unfortunately he (Rick Baker) passed away in a car accident just as he was hitting his prime.