Laura

Yeah, I'm wondering about that as well.

In case the previous mod warnings didn't sink in: If you Whine/Gloat about Illinois and/or Whine/Gloat about Indiana again in this thread, you'll earn an immediate vacation. Thanks.

Sean Marshall is also expected to pitch in the Brewers game.

The WMLW broadcast will be live and repeated at 7pm CT.

I'm planning on entering this contest. Since I'm receiving WC entries, I'm going to PM Southpaw my WC entries today so I can keep compiling everyone else's WC choices.

To discuss the various contests & for contest updates.

FYI -- here will be several contests running in the Events Forum this season. Most require that you submit entries by opening day. The Piniella Ejection Pool and the HR Derby contests have been posted, and the Predictions Contest will be up soon. --------------------------------- It's time to ask for donations for the 2007 NSBB Predictions Contest! In the past, we've run the contest as sort of an NSBB Rummage Sale. Premium members can choose a prize; the top non-premium member is awarded Premium membership. The threads from past Predictions Contests are in the Events forum if you want to look through the past contest guidelines, prizes and winners. If you are interested in donating an item, please just post here or PM me. The *only* items we would probably hold off accepting for now are common baseball cards, since we usually have autographed or rookie cards donated already. Used or outgrown jerseys in good condition and other Cubs fan items would also be appreciated. Thanks!

It's time to ask for donations for the 2007 NSBB Predictions Contest! In the past, we've run the contest as sort of an NSBB Rummage Sale. Premium members can choose a prize; the top non-premium member is awarded Premium membership. The threads from past Predictions Contests are in the Events forum if you want to look through the past contest guidelines, prizes and winners. If you are interested in donating an item, please just post here or PM me. The *only* items we would probably hold off accepting for now are common baseball cards, since we usually have autographed or rookie cards donated already. Used or outgrown jerseys in good condition and other Cubs fan items would also be appreciated. This season, Vance has volunteered to consolidate the prizes and distribute them to the winners at the end of the season. Many thanks to Vance -- if he hadn't volunteered, there probably wouldn't be a predictions contest this year. Thanks!

SAMPLE ENTRY Group A: Howard Group B: Soriano & Berkman Group C: Dye, Hall & Swisher Group D: Beltre, Rollins, Cuddyer, Damon & AGonzalez WC: PM'd to Laura

Contest The goal: Build a HR team to collect the most MLB BOMBS! Pick a roster of 12 hitters. The first 11 hitters must include: --1 batter from Group A --2 batters from Group B --3 batters from Group C --5 batters from Group D The 12th hitter is your Wild Card and can be any player not listed here. You don't have to pick a WC player on a 25-man roster, but you obviously risk not accruing HRs if your player is stashed in the minors. Post your first 11 selections in this thread. The deadline for posting is Noon Central Time on Sunday, April 1. The thread will be locked at the deadline. You must PM me your Wild Card selection! Do not post it with your entry. It WILL NOT COUNT unless it's PM'd to me by the deadline. I'll edit your WC selections into your posts after the deadline. RULES Throughout the season, you may make 4 adds/drops to your core roster of 11 players. The following rules apply to adds/drops: --You must drop a player to add another player. A drop/add is one transaction. --You must post your transaction in the HR Derby transaction thread. The transaction becomes effective at midnight CT the day you post it. You will accrue the dropped player's HRs in any game started by midnight CT that day. You will accrue the added player's HRs for any games starting after midnight CT the next day. --If you only post an add without a drop or there's any other problem deciphering your intent, the transaction isn't finalized until it's straightened out. --You may make 2 transactions before the All-Star Game and 2 transactions after the All-Star Game. These transactions apply only to the core roster and not the WC player. It's use or lose it -- if you don't make 2 transactions before the All-Star Game, you still only get 2 transactions afterwards. --The player added must be drawn from the same group as the player dropped. --No clones. You can't have the same player more than once. --MLB rules for stats will be followed for any games postponed, suspended, etc. --You can only change your WC player once and only at the All-Star break ... so choose carefully! --Southpaw19 will be providing periodic updates throughout the season. If you have any scoring questions, please post them in the discussion thread or PM him. Final decisions on scoring are up to him. Winner --Anyone can enter. The winner has to be a member in good standing (in other words, not banned) at the conclusion of the season in order to collect the prize. -- The winner will have his/her choice of an Alex Rios or Felix Pie autographed Big Stick Rawlings bat. --A tie at the end of the season goes to the premium member. If that doesn't break the tie, it goes to the person who posted their HR Derby team first. --You can change your HR Derby team as often as you'd like before the deadline. Just please EDIT your original post instead of posting a new team. Finally, many thanks to Southpaw19 -- without his help, there wouldn't be a HR Derby contest this year! GROUPS (HRs are 2006 HRs) Group A Player Team HRs R Howard PHI 58 D Ortiz BOS 54 A Pujols STL 49 T Hafner CLE 42 A Rodriguez NYY 35 Group B Player Team HRs A Soriano CHC 46 L Berkman HOU 45 J Thome CWS 42 C Beltran NYM 41 A Jones ATL 41 A Dunn CIN 40 F Thomas TOR 39 C Delgado NYM 38 T Glaus TOR 38 A Ramirez CHC 38 J Giambi NYY 37 J Bay PIT 35 P Konerko CWS 35 M Ramirez BOS 35 M Holliday COL 34 M Teixeira TEX 33 G Sizemore CLE 28 B Bonds SF 26 Group C Player Team HR J Dye CWS 44 B Hall MIL 35 N Swisher OAK 35 J Morneau MIN 34 R Sexson SEA 34 V Guerrero LAA 33 R Ibanez SEA 33 A LaRoche PIT 32 C Utley PHI 32 V Wells TOR 32 T Hunter MIN 31 J Crede CWS 30 G Atkins COL 29 P Burrell PHI 29 J Francoeur ATL 29 P Fielder MIL 28 C Lee HOU 28 C Monroe DET 28 K Griffey CIN 27 B Inge DET 27 J Jones CHC 27 D Uggla FLA 27 E Byrnes ARI 26 M Cabrera FLA 26 R Durham SF 26 C Jones ATL 26 M Thames DET 26 J Willingham FLA 26 D Wright NYM 26 S Rolen STL 22 J Mauer MIN 13 D Lee CHC 8 G Sheffield DET 6 GROUP D Player Team HRs Player Team HRs A Beltre SEA 25 J Gomes TB 20 J Rollins PHI 25 M Jacobs FLA 20 M Cuddyer MIN 24 M Lowell BOS 20 J Damon NYY 24 C Tracy ARI 20 A Gonzalez SD 24 R Zimmerman WSH 20 A Kearns WSH 24 C Blake CLE 19 B McCann ATL 24 J Edmonds STL 19 M Ordonez DET 24 J Encarnacion STL 19 M Tejada BAL 24 C Guillen DET 19 T Wigginton TB 24 B Molina TOR 19 R Aurilia SF 23 J Reyes NYM 19 M Ensberg HOU 23 W Betemit LAD 18 R Hernandez BAL 23 C Crawford TB 18 N Johnson WSH 23 K Johjima SEA 18 J Posada NYY 23 M Teahen KC 18 J Rivera LAA 23 J Valentin NYM 18 M Alou NYM 22 G Anderson LAA 17 M Cameron SD 22 G Jenkins MIL 17 E Chavez OAK 22 P Wilson STL 17 C Duncan STL 22 M Barrett CHC 16 P Feliz SF 22 H Blalock TEX 16 B Hawpe COL 22 N Markakis BAL 16 L Overbay TOR 22 V Martinez CLE 16 M Piazza OAK 22 T Helton COL 15 C Biggio HOU 21 J Lane HOU 15 D Ross CIN 21 B Abreu NYY 15 J Uribe CWS 21 D Jeter NYY 14 A Huff BAL 21 J Kent LAD 14 B Broussard SEA 21 D Dellucci PHI 13 J Drew BOS 20 C Floyd CHC 11 N Garciaparra LAD 20 H Matsui NYY 8

Prior will be starting Thursday's Cactus League game vs. San Diego.

Thanks for the recap!

any idea which game he'll be throwing in? i'll be there that day, and i'd like to see him pitch. In case you miss it -- Vance posted game notes in today's game thread saying that Gallagher would be starting Monday's SS game vs Milwaukee (@MIL). Yovanni Gallardo is slated to start for Milwaukee. Should be fun!

Gallagher & Gallardo! I wish that would be televised. The MLB schedule shows it as being on MLB.tv, but since doesn't show up on either team's broadcast schedule, I have my doubts.

Thanks! Corrected.

Looks like Cubs.com was 'misinformed.' SHOCKING!

If you're responding to the previous quote, please don't include an entire page of quotes. People can keep up with discussions in consecutive posts. (I edited down some of the above quotes.)

Happy St. Patrick's Day! The game will be on WGN TV & Radio and XM-179. It will also be broadcast on XPRS & XEMO (Spanish) radio stations in San Diego. http://sandiego.padres.mlb.com/images/2007/03/02/ew9vH6do.jpg RH Greg Maddux, 40 yo '07 Spring Training: 2GS, 5IPs, 7H, 2R/2ER, 3.60 ERA vs http://chicago.cubs.mlb.com/images/2007/03/02/yaTYzEkb.jpg LH Rich Hill, 27 yo '07 Spring Training: 2GS, 5IPs, 5H, 2R/2ER, 3.60 ERA

For the fourth time, see here. It also mentions it at cubs.com. I was suprised I thougt he was to pitch later. It said he pitched between 86-90. And it was considered a "small but good step" and a "good outing". . Where are we discussing it here on NSBB? Or has it even been discussed yet? The Sun-Times article on Prior thread in Discussions.

Yes, it gives you the option to select more than one game if you don't buy 6 tickets for one game. My brother did the same last year without any problems. I'm picking them up Monday at will call, but I don't anticipate any hassles.

The Cubs.com article is up. Not surprisingly, it's a different take.

My brother also had one for tomorrow morning in his bulk folder ... so check that if you haven't already.

I live locally. We'll just have to agree to disagree. I'm a Cubs fan, but history has taught me not to accept everything the organization says or does at face value. Your mileage may differ, and obviously does.

I think what you refer to as "the other part of it" is the main reason for the PR problem. The story was not always that the Cubs were lying. The distrust grew after faulty information was provided -- it may have been inadvertant and it may have been due to internal misinformation, but either way, it happened and bred mistrust. Overlay that on the normal paranoia that Cubs fans experience and you arrive at the current situation. You really think there's a vast pro-White-Sox conspiracy? You'll have to run that by your WSI friends and get their response. Are the Cubs simultaneously incredibly popular and a national laughingstock? Indeed. I think their history of, well, not winning very often, contributes more to national mocking than the constant steam of injuries to Prior & Wood. Since the story is that Kerry Wood did hurt himself by overstriding to avoid a gaping hole in the home park pitching mound, I almost wish they were lying about this ... because the alternative is that Kerry was an idiot for not asking that the mound be fixed. That doesn't bode well for him being able to avoid hot-tub and mound hole injuries for the remainder of the season.

Ugh, I don't think either of those games is broadcast for the poor souls like me who can't make the trip out this year.