BigbadB

I see a Beltran like drop off if Manny goes to the Mets.

[-(

Ewwww.

I can still see Neifi getting decent playing time, but only late in games when the Cubs have opened up a good sized lead. I don't want to see Nomar out there in a 10-2 game in the 7th inning. That would be a great time to bring Neifi's glove into the game.

As much as I like Sandberg and despise Morgan, I'd have to say that Morgan was a slightly better player...just looking at the overall numbers. Sandberg had a bit more power and was better defensively, but Morgan was a much more patient hitter in terms of OBP and stole several more bases. I think Morgan's much higher OBP probably gives him the edge, considering that the rest of their numbers are somewhat comparable. That said, both belong in the Hall of Fame, and I don't think the difference between the two players is as great as some might claim. Did I mention I despise Joe Morgan? I agree that Morgan edges Sandberg in talent, but the huge discrepancy in class gives Sandberg the nod for me.

I totally agree. Everytime a player is suggested here he is picked apart. Soriano is a good player. No, he isn't perfect, but he is possibly the best option out there. I don't know who people expect us to get. Do we want to improve the team or do we want to wait for some mythical flawless player to appear so we can aquire him? Are the Mets tired of Beltran yet? I'm thinking a change of scenery would do him some good. :wink: If we could get a three way going that lands us Beltran, I'd be all over it.

You also forgot who manages this Cubs team. Until they have a manager who will play the kids, you would be wasting time trading vets for more kids.

Maybe it's just my hatred for the Yankees, but to me the Rockies should have gotten more for Chacon. There were lots of teams interested in him.

Bad hamstrings aside, giving half effort is why many teams never reach the playoffs. While no one play will usually have that much of an impact, hustling because you know it's right and because you love the game and because you want to win and you want to inspire your teammates makes it the right thing to do. Last year, Moises Alou kicked a ball into the ivy because he was too lazy to pick it up. Instead of holding the guy to a double, the guy circles the bases and gets an inside the park home run. Dusty may have ridden him hard in the dugout, but that's just not enough for the fans. The fans don't see that. Show the fans that you will not accept lazy, half effort. Sit the guy down, and then make him watch tapes of laziness. Make him watch his own laziness for an hour or two. Lecture him and sit him if he doesn't change his ways. If the players like playing for Dusty because it is acceptable to kick a ball into the ivy rather than pick it up, or to run out a ground ball, it's just further proof that Dusty is not a good manager. Alou was never taken out of that game. To me it appeared as though it was an acceptable practice to be lazy and try to cheat to get your wished result.

C'mon Z, nobody is expecting perfection...just common sense. Or at least learning from his mistakes. It was total exaggeration (except for the peanut vendors: Wrigley's are second to none), but is there any other position on the field that it's easier to second guess than manager? Some people just love to whine and try and look smarter than the manager. But when whoever replaces Dusty gets hired, it'll be the same stuff different day. Or they'll be whining about some other set of problems...but they'll still be whining. And some people will never stop whining about having to listen to people whine. Sometimes, it's kind of cool to NOT have to hear your dissenting opinion in every single thread. Why do Dusty critics have to be characterized as whiners in the first place? Christ, haven't we gotten passed this yet? Exactly. Technically, if these guys were never critiqued, the current oldest living former Cub manager should still be at the helm because no one was ever there to second guess him, and he always made the right decisions, even though he never got us to the playoffs.

C'mon Z, nobody is expecting perfection...just common sense. Or at least learning from his mistakes. It was total exaggeration (except for the peanut vendors: Wrigley's are second to none), but is there any other position on the field that it's easier to second guess than manager? Some people just love to whine and try and look smarter than the manager. But when whoever replaces Dusty gets hired, it'll be the same stuff different day. Or they'll be whining about some other set of problems...but they'll still be whining. And some people will never stop whining about having to listen to people whine. Sometimes, it's kind of cool to NOT have to hear your dissenting opinion in every single thread.

We will all reach the end of the internet before I get done listing all the things that are wrong with Dusty Baker. Shame on me, too, because I was one of those that fully supported his arrival in Chicago. Now that I have seen first hand his coaching philosophy, he can go back to where he came from. I will simply spare you all my long list, as I have other internet surfing to finish before we reach the end.

Sarcasm? I haven't decided yet. :wink:

I say no. A-Rod will never accept less than 25m a year to play a game of baseball, therefore, when no one is willing to offer it to him, him and his World Seriesless self will quietly disappear into the night on the eve of the last day of his current contract.

Honestly, Tim looked around for people who have no life and spend their every waking moment on NSBB.com. He figured since we spend our every waking moment on NSBB, we might as well make ourselves useful. :D Of course, being a moderator also means to not be anymore controversial than I tend to get, and we also have to pretend as though we like you. :P Of course, it helps that I have a doctorate from Southeasternwestcentral Illinois College of Moderation.

Nevin is absolutely horrible in the outfield, which explains why they don't play him there anymore. Nevin makes Dubois look like a gold glover.

My only beef with Miller is the way he pronounces Perez. He says Pairez. While that may be the proper pronunciation, it drives me nuts. Unfortunately, there always seems to be a Perez playing in Miller's games. Neifi, Odalis, Oliver, Antonio, Timo, Eddie, Tomas, Yorkis, Eduardo, etc....

Before coming to the Cubs, Ramirez had one great year, one terrible year, and was having a decent half-year. Kearns, like Ramirez, came up very young (straight from AA), and more than held his own. There's no question that he's an All-Star caliber talent when healthy and he's only 25 (the same age as Ramirez when he was traded). Any time I can get my hands on a young player like that who's coming from a bad situation, I'd be thrilled. There was a legitimate reason Aramis had a "terrible" year in 2002. He injured his ankle early in the season. In April of his "terrible" year, he was hitting .348 at the time he injured his ankle. He came back too soon and it didn't heal properly all year, thus creating his "terrible" year.

I would happily trade Jose Macias to Pittsburgh for Bobby Hill.

Don't be shy about that kind of stuff. WHIP is Walks + Hits per Inning Pitched.

He sure was rather respectful of Joe Morgan in that article. Much nicer than I would have been. Oh, and I really like Jon Miller, also. How has he not reached both hands around Joe Morgan's throat and squeezed all the way to the funeral parlor by now is beyond me. You have to admire Jon Miller's patience as well.

Good news for me. I picked the Giants to finish 4th. Bad for the idiots at ESPN. They all picked San Fran to win the division. And I'll call 'em idiots if I want. I pay for Premium and haven't had access to Rumor Central since I got home from my last trip. Fix the stupid link already. [-( Nevermind.....It's fixed now.

Have you given up on this season? Todd Walker alone, in my eyes is worth Hanley Ramirez and Jon Lester. So, no dice.

Where in the Admin/Mod explanation (earlier in the thread) did it say that he was banned for posting a rumor? Unless I missed a post the explanation was that he's a troll but they can't tell us why? Sure his post looked fishy but the rumor he heard from his source was pretty much on considering Reds Announcers picked it up in Cinci. If he was trolling he would have pulled it out it of thin air. I noticed a lot of rolling of the eyes of because he has a source , not to call out Hoops but he has some sources and is well respected on the board. Didn't Vance have a source in Houston. To say SE wasn't banned for posting a rumor only hours after posting it seems a little bit of a stretch. Will it be necessary to clear it through you from this day forward each time we decide someone needs to be banned from this community? I didn't think so. People get banned for many reasons, but the overall intent of removing someone is to protect this community from people who do not have the best of intentions in mind. Honestly, what's with dragging this out? The decision has been made and none of us feel it is necessary to explain ourselves. If you want to get technical, he clearly stated in his very first post that if he was wrong, to go ahead and ban him. We did. The discussion is still here if you wish to discuss a potential trade of Adam Dunn. But, the discussion of why this guy was banned is no longer up for discussion. Period.

The thread was not locked up because the Cubs are currently playing the Reds, and we are approaching the trade deadline. Whether it's Adam Dunn or Austin Kearns, there has been news of a potential trade between the two teams. If this thread were locked, there would certainly be a new one regarding Adam Dunn. To answer the question of why Adam Dunn? He's exactly what this team needs. If Dunn would or could be traded, then it would stand to make sense that Hendry get involved and see what it would take to land him. As far as strike outs. The Cubs led the league in strike outs (pitching and hitting) in 2003. The Cubs went to the playoffs that year. While not all outs are created equal, a strike out is just another way to make an out. Many HOF caliber players led their respective leagues in strike outs. It's what those players do with the bat when they aren't striking out that makes them valuable. Adam Dunn is (in my mind) comparable to Jim Thome. A guy with good plate patience, tremendous power and a high K rate. While Thome hit for higher average in his prime, Dunn can play other positions other than 1b, and also appears to have a bit better speed than Thome. The Cubs worst offensive stat is still OBP. Dunn addresses that. Leaving Hairston and Walker at the top of the order will also address that. Overall, the addition of Adam Dunn gives the team improvement in OBP, OPS, left/right balance in the heart of the order, more youth. The sacrifice appears to be defense, but I don't recall the last good defender we had in left field anyway. By trading for Adam Dunn, the Cubs end up with 6 guys at the top of the order that all can produce .350+ OBP. While OBP isn't the be all, end all of offensive statistics, I certainly like what it does for teams that also have good SLG's, something the Cubs already have. Combine that with a solid pitching staff, and I just see a trade for Adam Dunn as the one piece to the puzzle that fits and lifts this team into the playoffs. Add Nomar and Williamson to the mix, and I don't see how this team can miss the playoffs. Probably won't catch the Cardinals, but the wild card seems to be the lucky spot to be in these days anyway.