Rob

Bagwell and Thomas are easily in the top ten 1B of all time. There's no way they shouldn't be first-ballot guys.

I hope not... not for the money he's going to command, at least.

Hendy has done very well with the Miller, Wood, and Aramis signings. There is no debate to that. I'm starting to think as well of him as I did going into mid 2004... though I do realize that 3 re-signings done well doesn't make this a good team by any means.

Is that because Hendry is a nice guy, or because Aramis loves us almost as much as we love him?

If the Cubs got word we'd won the Matsuzaka bidding today and the rumor about us offering Drew a contract that could be finished today are true... I guess Matsuzaka, Aramis, Drew, and Wood would have to qualify as a pretty good day.

Now that our own house is in order, and Matsuzaka is still just a waiting game... Drew would now become my #1 priority. I'd go 5/65 right now if I knew that's what it would take to get it done. And the great part is, I think he'll end up being much cheaper than that!

A good day for Cubs fans is simply maintaining the status quo. But that doesn't mean I'm enjoying these little victories any less. Hendry as GM 4 Life, Yo!

Suddenly the siren song of the pubs has become too sweet for my mortal ears.

well then ultimately you see no way we can contend next year at all. which is not bad in and of itself, but the problem here is that the cubs management has been and will continue to be completely inept at recognizing problems then making a plan to overcome those so long as the same figureheads remain. so what is the answer? the only way we ever come close with hendry in charge is to pay aramis that money, hope glendon retires(bad as that sounds), and a few other things fall into place. lovely world we cub fans live in ain't it? sorry if i came off harsh, but in my opinion you were making aramis out to be a greedy monster, and i just can't believe that to be the case. No worries man. I know none of this is personal. I just look at it like a sale. Would you really haggle over 90 dollars compared to 100 dollars. I know if it is me I wouldn't. 10 dollars isn't going to change the world. Just like I think 10 million won't make a big difference if you are already making 90 million. 10 bucks is a lot, man. That's two drinks for the fine lady you brought out for the evening....which can make a huge difference. 10 bucks is the reason I'm still up and typing here, as opposed to being in bed right now.

I'm going to assume this is a pun. If I'm right, you are up WAY too late. Wow. Just, wow.... Even if you're wrong, you're up far past your bedtime

If we've got to find a replacement 3B, I'm looking no further than Morgan Ensberg. The Astros have soured on him so he should be cheap, but he's good for quite a bit of production. ARod is great, but I want him as a SS.... Ensberg would be the best cheap production from 3B.

He takes some very esoteric routes to flyballs out there in right... He's the worst defensive outfielder in the game. Your way of saying it isn't nearly as polite as mine. Besides, Dunn might still be worse... maybe.

And then some. But it's still a wonderful dream.

He takes some very esoteric routes to flyballs out there in right...

Nope. Selig might step in if the top offer is insincere, but the Japanese teams have no control over any of it.

Nah, I just don't have class on Fridays and a buddy of mine came in from out of town. My sobriety (or lack thereof) was out of my hands tonight... On a side note, I type really well when I've been drinking. Granted, it takes a whole lot longer, but it still usually comes out fairly nice.

What a coinky-dink. I'm sloshed as well.

Great news.

I did hear on ESPNews earlier today that the Seibu Lions would meet Friday to determine whether they would accept the high bid. I guess its Friday there now, right? Yes Maybe an announcement will come at noon their time (pure speculation on my part) Which would be 9PM central time. After drive time, that would give me approximately 4 hours and 45 minutes of time to either celebrate or drown my sorrows... Works for me. If you lived on the West Coast you would have 2 extra hours. I've got a few bottles of booze sitting on a shelf in my closet. I'll survive.

I did hear on ESPNews earlier today that the Seibu Lions would meet Friday to determine whether they would accept the high bid. I guess its Friday there now, right? Yes Maybe an announcement will come at noon their time (pure speculation on my part) Which would be 9PM central time. After drive time, that would give me approximately 4 hours and 45 minutes of time to either celebrate or drown my sorrows... Works for me.

Original scoop came from... http://www.forums.mlb.com/n/mb/message.asp?webtag=ml-yankees&msg=260332.1&ctx=0 Yankees punk made it all up. Sorry fellas.

Perfect example of using stats as a drunk would use a light pole. In 2004 Aramis was 4th in OPS in MLB for 3rd baseman In 2005 Aramis was 4th in OPS in MLB for 3rd baseman In 2006 Aramis was 5th in OPS in MLB for 3rd baseman. He is top five 3rd baseman in baseball. Pay him like one. You are incapable of discussion without insults. It's unbelievable. OPS is generally regarded as the most important stat for a player, so I don't see how stating the fact that his declined three consecutive years is a crutch. It's a bloody basic observation on value. I have no problem with paying him good money. But he wants top 10 in baseball money, and he has never been in the top 10 in production. At 5/75 he will be one of the most overpaid players in the league. In 1968 Carl Yastrzemski hit .301/.426/.495 for a .921 OPS. That ranked him #1 in BA, #1 in OBP, #4 in Slug, and #1 in OPS. In 2005, Aramis had a .926 OPS. I already know what you're gonna say. "The AL in 1968 was a ridiculous pitcher's league! You can't compare the two!" Yastrzemski had a 195 OPS+, Aramis a 136. Perhaps I'm being a bit over-the-top in this, but I was just trying to point out that you absolutely have to make adjustments year in and year out. The difference isn't nearly as huge between 2005-2006 as between 2005 and 1968, but there's still a difference. OPS+ adjusts for that.

That was posted at noon today... before the bids were in.

God, I hate Rob Dibble. I'm gonna have to stop listening to XM hoping for updates. "Hey, is Marcus Giles a free agent?" "Yes, yes he is." Dumbass.

I love me some J.D. Drew.