rawaction

I like it better in it's proper thread. BTW, everyone in my draft shied away from Pujols. He went 20th in a 10-team draft. Guy got Arod and Pujols. But that looks like a good draft. You are awfully young though, so you better hope for no regression. That's a great keeper team though. Don't shy away from the vets though, just to get a guy with upside when there is a guy that has put up numbers consistently on the board.

Yeah, from what I've seen of Spilborghs, that's an accurate statement.

There's players playing in spring games that are still likely to hit the DL to start the season. Mike Hampton just pitched today, and might start on the DL.

Why? Almost all closers have to start at zero saves sometime. I'm fine with Woody or Marmol. Almost all, Cuse? Do some guys get a headstart with like, 10 saves, to start their career? :D No, but you can get a save without being the closer. Marmol has career saves, but has never been a "closer" per se.

Braun was the worst defensive 3B in baseball. He's likely to be the league's worst LF, at least in 2008. Cubs RHs should pull the ball against Milwaukee pitchers constantly.

I'm nostrawdamus. If things don't go well, I'll be nostrawdumbas

that was my understanding as well Abuck and Tim.

I think Patterson and Fontenot may start the season on the Cubs bench. Fontenot has the ML experience, and he's hit better than Cedeno, so if he can play SS at all (which it looks like he can) then he'll get the edge over Ronny, who I can see being traded. Patterson has the versatility that Lou loves. If they go into the season with this current roster, the only backup CFs are Cedeno and Patterson. Cedeno might get the edge because he is RH, but his ability to play SS isn't as valuable because of Fontenot. EP can run and play a better OF than Cedeno at this point. I think both have an advantage over Cintron, because they are on the 40-man already. Wuertz, Wood, and Zambrano were completely unhittable.

Zambrano was brilliant. He was a Felix Pie misplay away from throwing no-hit baseball thru 6. Everything was working. He did have some minor control problems, when it seemed like he was rushing. Fontenot has to make the team. I'd say at this point that Fontenot and Patterson have to have the edge to backup the MIF. EPatt can play some OF. Fonty can play some SS. Cedeno has no options, but I'm convinced he'll be traded. Looking at a Fontenot, Patterson, Ward, Blanco, Murton bench right now.

I'm pretty sure no team can boast having guys like Wuertz and Hart as the #4 and 5 RHs out of their pen. With those 2, Marmol and hopefully guys like Petrick and Pignatiello, the Cubs should be able to have a pretty good and cheap pen for the near future. Of course, they'll probably re-sign Wood, Howry, and spend about 5M/year on another LOOGY.

Hamilton's a former #1 pick, and pretty undisputed that he was the best player in the draft, IIRC. Anybody with that type of talent has the potential to be the best player in the league.

That's not really strange. If a college BBall team wins a tournament game, they get closer to the championship and you ultimately have to root for a rival to be champion if it gets to that point. If a rival team wins a bowl game, 9 of 10 times, that's all they win is a bowl game. They don't get to claim a national championship unless they win the BCS championship game. I'd venture to guess that you weren't rooting for Ohio St. the last 2 years to win their bowl game?

drake should have been a four, but i guess it doesn't matter that much. can't believe butler is a seven. Butler got screwed more than IU. Heck, I think Purdue may have been screwed too, being lower than Michigan St. Only ND was seeded properly in the state of Indiana.

I don't know much about Arkansas. They beat Vandy and Tennessee, but lost to a Georgia team playing it's 3rd game in 30 hours. They went into the SEC tourney having lost 5 of 8 games, and lost now 4 games to the bottom 4 in the SEC. They also lost at Providence and home vs. App. St. Admittedly, though, I have not seen them play all year. And clearly, you don't know what IU team you are gonna get, but I do think they played OK vs. Minnesota.

Hansbrough/DJ White would make for an interesting matchup though. Maybe the 2 best pure college 5's, with apologies to Hibbert. We actually don't matchup too poorly against UNC, they are probably just a touch more athletic across the board. That and IU has been playing like crap while UNC is playing their best.

Yeah, looking at the brackets it definitely looks like more emphasis was put on the last 2 weeks than the other 5 months of the season.

In what world does Oklahoma, Gonzaga, USC, Miami, and West Virginia have a better resumes than IU and Butler?

Z this spring. 15 IP, 8 hits, 1 ER, 3 BB, 14 Ks. That's decent.

I would give the edge to Pierre, simply because GMJ can provide occasional pop, and a great glove. Whereas Pierre lone attribute is his speed. So, I would incline to say Pierre got the worst contract during the 2007 offseason, heck you can even say his contract is the worse in the past 15-20 yrs. Mike Hampton and Carl Pavano say hi. Chan Ho Park is swearing at you in Korean.

HoffPOWER! He's a really good looking hitter.

Exactly. You aren't gonna get a good player, which Roberts is, for spare parts. To get a good player, you have to give up at least 1 player with the potential to be a good player, along with other players with the ability to give a financially conscious team cheap production. I don't understand how Cedeno and Murton aren't good enough to start for the Cubs, but the Os should go crazy over them. Regardless if the Cubs are being stupid or not, if they don't value their players, nobody else will. If the deal is Gallagher, Cedeno, one of Veal/Ceda, and another of the rumored names; then the Cubs gotta make the deal. This deal makes the Cubs better in 2008, without making a significant difference in 2009 and beyond. Folks, that's should be the standard of every trade. Improving your current team, while not mortgaging future teams' ability to win games. With so much of the future tied up into a solid core of players (Z, Aram, Soriano, Fukudome, Marmol, Pie, Soto), the Cubs are in a position where losing these prospects to the Orioles will not seriously hamper the team from competing in the future, at least not to the point where it outweighs the chances it gives the 2008 and 2009 Cubs chances.

Not in the least.

42-13 at halftime. It was 4-4 and 17-10 at one point. 38-9 and 25-3 runs.

Actually, the foul calls late probably hurt IU more than helped. Gordon did get fouled. DJ did not on the putback. If the refs don't call that foul it's just a tie game. But with 3.5 seconds instead of 1.5. IU has a chance to set up a defense. Minnesota has to actually run a play and don't get the desperation heave like that. It's easier to guard a Tyus Edny type play than it is to guard the play that actually happened last night. Also, if the refs don't call that 2nd foul (DJ did get ran into pretty soundly) then they have to call the ball out on Minnesota, giving IU the ball w/ 1.5 and a tie game. That would have made for an OT scenario with Minnesota's 3 biggest players on the bench with 5 fouls. FYI, the worst call of the game was DeAndre Thomas fouling out on a charge when a 5'10" guy goes underneath him (an actually bailed to the ground before the contact) as he goes up for a layup. Still, that's the most energy IU has played with since Sampson left. They got the ball to DJ all 2nd half. Dre played the best game of his career. They played pretty solid defense, except on loose ball situations, where UM scored 4 buckets off of blocked shots or airballs in the 2nd half. The problem was we didn't shoot well. Despite the loss, we looked like a team that could go to the Sweet 16 if we make a couple jump shots. But we will need Ellis and Stemler to provide something tangible to do so.

Yeah, Bears will get a 2nd or 3rd round WR. I think they want a guy that has shown some run after catch skills. I think they are happy w/ Booker as the possession type. They are happy w/ Bradley or Hester as the deep guy. And are hoping Lloyd or the draft pick and be a good route runner who can seperate in the open field.