Laura

Everyone making over $5M should be replaced (except maybe DLEE). Maddux was signed in the 03-04 off-season. Having to unload Sosa the way the Cubs did played a far greater role in the current makeup of the OF than any other factor. Don't blame Maddux for not getting JD Drew. I'll just say again that Maddux's contract ranks far down the list of Cubs concerns for the future at this point. I assumed from the moment he signed that the option would likely vest because Maddux pitches 200 innings a year. I'm happy with the return on investment at this point, and I'm betting I'll be happy with the return on investment at the end of '05. Because I also assume Maddux isn't going anywhere unless the Cubs completely and totally collapse. You can quote this and yell at me if I'm wrong, or you can forget about it if I'm right. :) That's my take, and I'm not going to get involved with every Maddux argument that occurs over the next year and a half. GO MADDUX! GO CUBS!

Maybe because they're thinking about performance going forward, not what they have produced? Dunno. 2004 should be included in any overall comparison, then, since 2004 performance was future performance at the time both contracts were signed. I'm also not hugely enthusiastic about leaping into this argument for the 133rd time, since I know it will be had 1,033 times again. For all of the talk of pitchers who should have been obtained to replace Maddux, I don't see a lot of hugely discounted ones who I see as providing the consistency he has and will. And for all of the talk of the inhouse options who could fill that slot, I find it interesting that the current competition for the 5th slot involves recent acquisitions Jerome Williams and Glendon Rusch (though it sounds like Williams is the choice). Maybe the Cubs can be blamed for those decisions. My guess is that the Cubs think that Maddux was one reason the Cubs stayed competitive last year and why they aren't a lot further back this year than they could be.

Maddux gets some sweet props in this Kirk Wesslercolumn in the Peoria paper.

If you read the entire article, one of the things mentioned is that when Corey was Eric's age, he was playing at the major league level.

The Trib has an article on Eric and his success so far in Peoria. It compares the experiences thus far of Corey and Eric.

I just hope he doesn't end up in the doghouse for this and we're treated to weeks of Jose Macias at 2B. Macias would probably get to leadoff, though. You gotta bat him somewhere.

According to Paul Sullivan. The article doesn't let Neifi off the hook either -- it just points out that it sure would be nice to have someone on base for DLee.

hello?

Another update: http://www.topprospectalert.com/walt-nolen-journal.htm

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Mizzou will start tomorrow's game thread when he gets home this evening.

I'm keeping my fingers crossed with Wood that he can hit the ground running and be effective. Because if he's not, that's going to be a problem. Hopefully, the extra time working on his mechanics, etc, will pay off in the long run.

San Diego is one of the few places I could see as being a really good fit. I still think, though -- and I admit I may be completely deluded on this -- that Maddux did come back to Chicago with the expectation that the Cubs would be a winning team, and that he really would like to be part of that happening. I don't think he's leaving unless he really believes that there's no chance or that the improvement with him leaving would be enough for the team to succeed (and it's really hard for anyone to believe that leaving a team would make that team all that much better, and I wouldn't expect Maddux to buy into that notion easily).

Today pretty much stunk all the way around. At least the two balls bouncing out of the ivy in RF when one ball went in provided some comic relief. I'll have to look up that part of the game thread. All I can say is what I've said before: Maddux is likely overpaid, but I also recognize that he was being paid to pitch the innings that he so far has pitched. If that was going to be a problem for the Cubs, they shouldn't have included the vesting option, because I would bet on Maddux getting his 200 IPs in. He's not fragile. Something was up with him today in that he was swearing after getting pitches that were actually strikes in the second inning. I guess he just knew he was missing his spots. If it were someone else, I'd wonder if it were an injury issue, but I just don't think he had it today. I hope Rich Hill worked through some jitters today.

Don't know if her information is completely up to date. :?

With 10 game days beginning this Friday at Yankee Stadium, that would mean someone will have to start 2 more times in his place while he continues to rehab.

The Trib says that Wood will throw "simulated batting practice" on Wednesday. If it's batting practice, why is it simulated? If it's simulated, why throw batting practice?

NSBB Game Thread Starter Sweeps (completed through 06/01/05) UMFan83: Dodgers (3) 5/20-6/1

Nice fluffy article on Jason du-BOYCE in the Sun-Times today.

It wouldn't surprise me to see both in the same game. I went with no-hitter, but ... (from the Trib) Zambrano said last week in Pittsburgh he would curtail his batting practice because of the injury, but he hasn't followed through on his promise. So why not stop swinging? "I need to," Zambrano said. "I try to help my team when I can." The switch-hitting Zambrano is hitting .318 in 22 at-bats, including .357 batting left-handed (5-for-14).

At least he can regale Prior and Z with tales of 1992, when he went 20-14. In his 14 losses, the Cubs were completely shut out 7 times. Prior and Z can probably relate. If you're even a tiny bit competitive, you want the win, even if it's a bogus stat blah blah. You want the team to win, but you want to win, too. If the Cubs were to do something like bench Maddux so his option didn't vest -- which I don't see happening even in an alternate bizarro universe --don't pretend that the same message isn't being sent to the young pitchers that was sent in 1992 -- that the long-term profit margin is a lot more important than the long-term winning percentage. It would be unrealistic to assume that Prior and/or Z would re-sign here if they do not see a long-term commitment to winning from the organization. They signed him to a contract. I wouldn't have bet against Maddux pitching 400 innings/2 yrs back when he signed, and, sure enough, he's going to do it. Just like Rusch's incentives are going to kick in because he's in the starting rotation, and just like Neifi! has probably already secured his incentives for being the starting shortstop. ETA: I agree Maddux is overpaid and will be more so if the option vests, but that's the price to be borne for bad contractual decisionmaking. He will produce -- just likely not at the levels we'd all prefer -- so it's not a case of paying out millions of dollars and getting nothing in return.

Maybe he could trade him to a team that scores some runs and has a bullpen.

They probably will, but for the weekend games, often it's just scattered single seats -- some really good seats, but it's difficult to find two or more together. For the Rox, you'll have better luck than with the WSox tix. I just checked and they have UD Box seats available for tomorrow.

Don't know yet about the WSox series. For the Mets series, it something like "It's BEER Weather!"