BRASKYS SCOTCH

He only averaged 16 wins per season in his final 3 years, that is what did him in. Including a two year stretch of 29-29 where IU missed the NCAA tourney for the first time since 1985. Those mediocre seasons combined with sticking his foot in his mouth at every available opportunity was the main thing. Yes, I know. I was just pointing out that he nearly did average 20 wins a year during his tenure. His last three and a half years of 13-13, 14-15, 15-14 and 19-12 were unacceptable, of course. It wasn't simply wins that cost Davis his job. Davis got stuck w/ being the guy replacing Knight and, therefore, "not being Knight." However, he could have eased this problem by paying attention to Indiana basketball as a whole. He pissed off high school coaches and consistently looked outside the state to recruit. Consequently he distanced himself from the concept of Indiana basketball as a social phenomenon of the state and that only made the public see differences between him and someone who "gets" Indiana basketball that much more rigid. The moment his teams started turning in poor performances on the court created the slippery slope that his way was never going to take IU basketball anywhere in the eyes of its fans. Given the disciplinary issues surrounding IU, you plug in Skiles who is accurately seen as a taskmaster and someone who instills hustle and fundamentals. Furthermore, you connect his status as a local boy that people in basketball circles still recognize as one of their own (he got his number retired last year, I believe, at Plymouth). The household name effect gives him access to high school coaches and their players. Add any benefit of his ties to the NBA and how he can construct an argument to a recruit that he knows what it takes to succeed on the next level, then you have a hell of a coaching prospect in my mind.

and here i thought no one was reading this thread anymore...

They probably won't, though. Is it even possible that the Orioles could ask for more than 2 players from the Cubs for Roberts? So far this offseason, the Orioles have traded Miguel Tejada for Luke Scott, Troy Patton, Matt Albers, Dennis Sarfate and Mike Costanzo, in which at least 3 of those guys are 40 man roster guys. They've also signed Roberto Novoa, Guillermo Quiroz, Greg Aquino, Chris Roberson and a few other guys that may or may not be 40 man roster guys, then add in another 5 guys in the Bedard trade with only Kris Benson being released. How many 40 man roster spots could they possibly have available? And the team still would love to be rid of Mora, Hernandez and Payton. Just thinking about it from this perspective, if Baltimore isn't interested in a Marquis/Colvin package (with Colvin not required to be protected yet), I'm not sure how these two teams work a deal that the Orioles can be happy with. Veal, Marquis, Colvin gets it done? This post made for vanity's sake, in a thread bereft of unnecessary posts ... rrrrriiiiight.

That deal wouldn't surprise me at all. Another thing to consider is the Orioles could be having 40-man problems and might want a prospect that they won't have to roster. Does Ceda or Burke fit that description? Should the Bedard trade finally happen, the Orioles would likely get Sherril from Seattle and would slot him into the back end of the bullpen. Doesn't necessarily dictate Marmol's inclusion, but they may look elsewhere in our system.

It's the oil spill of threads ... with a bevy of drunken captains.

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/08010/848130-13.stm Sorry, no Alex Pressley. Also, no chances for Jose Macias ... just sayin' (and, like typical Cubs fans, constantly in a state of fear of Hendry's wild side).

Yea I forgot about Trammell. I like Trammell, but I hope they give Ryno a fair shot if/when they do interviews....I'd hate to see them give it to Trammell just because he's Lou's bench coach. Ryno's was my childhood hero so please excuse my bias...... That's assuming Trammell is still with the Cubs at that time. He could have an offer to manage a team by that time. Assuming any of the Cubs coaching positions open up after the '08 season, I'd be curious to see if Ryno or Davis are under consideration.

And I quote, "Snap into it!"

Did he get that $1M bonus if he's named World Series MVP again? ... genius.

Olney was on Waddle & Silvy this morning and after talking about Fukudome and Brian Roberts spoke about Prior briefly. He began with his impression that the Cubs wouldn't want to let him go for nothing but then ended with his speculation that it may be too much of a gamble for the Cubs to agree to a 1 yr offer and may just cut ties with Prior. So yeah, nothing new but have been curious to hear anything about him today as we approach the deadline to tender him an offer.

Where do I push the done deal button? It's Hendry's belly button. Just have to hunt him down. Just be forewarned - he giggles like the Pillsbury Doughboy when you do . . . it's kinda creepy, really. If you do it with your left hand and do it quickly, he may just sign you onto the roster

I don't think it will be tonight. MacPhail, I'm sure, would have to run it by the owner since Markakis and Roberts are 1-2 on the owner's list of player favorites. So we're talking to them about both? :D Heh, in my dreams. If only in my dreams... To the best of my knowledge, only Roberts is part of any talk with the Cubs. Hendry has remain steadfast in saying he won't trade Hill or Pie. I get the feeling that MacPhail's got a bullseye on Marmol and a SP...

http://i172.photobucket.com/albums/w20/CTCubsFan/193318176_641648718_0.jpg Looks like someone got drunk and fought himself in a closet ... is that the right story or am I recalling this from the Bulls board?

If by dynasty you mean making the playoffs quite a bit in a terrible division and possibly lucking into a World Series, but getting absolutely destroyed by any AL team that makes it, then yes we could be a dynasty. ahem ... "So, I got that going for me ... which is nice."

Always hard to predict that. If they find out Fukudome is coming over here, they'll focus on that. So much hinges on that. That's the thing, by trading JJ so early we've really put all our eggs into Fukudome's basket. If we don't land Fukudome, has Jim thrown around any other names in your presence as a backup plan? No, this organization is pretty tight-lipped about whom it's going after. They've not volunteered anything. Hard to say if anything around baseball is "near completion" because the talks are so fluid. Bruce, Does all the speculation and subsequent confirmation-seeking make these meetings interesting/exciting or just an undesirable necessity for you? I imagine it starts with energy but grinds you down by Friday once the meetings have ended. Thanks for all the input!

Where does Teahan fit? Isn't he a 3B/RF? Are we prepping in case Fukudome signs elsewhere, or is Teahan on the bench?

quote="PriorPower"]Because it's not wasting money. It's investing in a real asset, regardless of your personal hatred of the man. No, no ... this makes too much sense. I understand the desire to cut the cord, but I think it will be a mistake when the Cubs trade him. Any animosity can be soothed over, but some smarter GM (and there are, oh, several out there) will make Hendry an offer he thinks is good enough and Prior's gone.

Invoking the spirit of Jim Hendry ... "this fills our need for a speedy LH bench player." Anyone get the feeling that this offseason's LH + speed obsession essentially gives birth to the inevitable Piniella & Hendry statement of "what we could use is a good, power-hitting RH batter off the bench" when we approach the '08 trade deadline?

If the Cowboys somehow lose to the Jets, I'd just take a step back from sports because clearly the fates would be pretty pissed at you.

he was struggling down the stretch and they gambled on a vet that had a couple good starts. the dempster thing is completely the work of hendry. he is trying to justify the contract (and length) he gave to dempster. much like forcing izturis,miller,barrett and jones into the lineup at the start of the season last year.those were his big moves and they needed to be justfied or proven. My hope is that lou will again make the moves he wants as soon as performance is proven. If the occasional mound "chats" that Lou had w/ Dempster this past season are any indication, the reality of Dempster starting could prove to bear some very colorful visits to the mound through the first and maybe second month next spring. If it's not working I can't imagine Lou will stick with it any longer after May, possibly earlier.

Yes! Yes! ... LOL. but, honestly, no. no LOL. Quiet, you.

30+ minutes last time I believe. So you're saying I got a chance ... http://www.moviepublicity.com/image_assets/dumbdumber_02.jpg

This sucks hard. Didn't they sell out in 20 or so minutes last time? I'm presuming the window will be closing soon.

So, anyone thinking of a particular bar to go see the games in Chicago? Pretty sure at this point tickets will not be an option.

I don't think it's a slam dunk, but I'd rather face Francis than Hamels and Rollins-Utley-Howard is scarier than the Rockies offense. Also, we'd have home field. Pretty much my thought, but I'm willing to throw in the "spent" theory towards the Phils fighting all the way to get to the NL East title, not to mention their manager is prone to, er, Baker-onian lapses, so to speak. Plus, a team with good defense like the Rockies scares me with a team as hit-streaky as the Cubs.