NOLA

The problem with waiting for the exact perfect free agent is that free agent doesn't exist. If you sit around and pass on each major free agent because there are some flaws or questions, you'll never make a big free agent signing and you'll probably never win a World Series. The Cubs are in a position right now where we have some good, young major league talent and we have a ton of prospects on their way up who look like good major leaguers. However, we have no real starpower in the minors or on the team. The potential is there for a very good supporting cast, but no core for that cast to support. We also don't have much money committed beyond 2012 and the third highest payroll in the MLB. Given all of that, one of the best players to ever play the game may just hit the open market this offseason and would give us that core player we don't have in the system. If we pass on Pujols and Fielder in the hopes that the perfect free agent falls in our lap, we'll see a lot more of the type seasons we saw in the 2000s (good teams that weren't great because they lacked a great player) in the coming years. Signing Pujols is a gamble, but sometimes you have to take gambles to win championships and if I'm going to take a gamble, I want to take one on the best player in the game. I see your points but the issue for me is the years at that money. I am not saying pass on each big free agent or the Cubs should wait on the perfect deal. I am just saying I think we pass on this deal as it is either feast or famine. I know you have to take your shots when you can but I am not willing to gamble this much as a number of things scare me: We play tons of day games. Is he really the age he says he is? True, he has played hurt at an incredible level but still he has had some worrisome injuries with more frequency in recent years-will he be as resilient as he ages? We are in the National League so no DH. Maybe I got carried away with the booing at Wrigley thing. But this just shrinks our window to win. Let's go get somebody else at a better deal when we get closer to contending.

The analogy would fit the Royals much better than the Cubs. The Cubs would have plenty of money left to go get the furniture as long as they spent with some level of intelligence. Plus they're about to fill at least a couple rooms with really cheap but nice furniture soon. We've invested wisely the last few years, and we're almost done paying off some debt. We're not ready to commit a huge chunk of our budget into a home whose value will absolutely decline down the road. And then there's the volatile housing market... Nevermind, I'll quit now.

I was just explaining to my girlfriend why I thought the Cubs shouldn't sign Pujols at that contract. She suggested it was like us trying to but this massive house we love in a really expensive neighborhood. We then couldn't afford to buy furniture to put in it and we'd be paying for it forever. She rocks.

What he said.

I can see this, and if the Cubs signed Pujols and won a World Title then automatically it was worth it. I just think the margin for error is tiny when you make a commitment like this. If we believe that this team with Pujols has a GREAT shot to win a title in the next few years then it should be done. If not, then we will be seriously burdened trying to build a team for the next several years. There might be better options at a better price down the road after we mature as an organization and/or add some talent.

Ah, I thought it was his option. Still, that's just an example of someone who could give us some RBIs out of RF. The more I think about the different options this team has going forward after shedding some payroll, the more I hate the idea another albatross contract. This runs contrary to what we're doing as an organization right now. Considering production we could get for that kind of commitment in years and money, the reward does not outweigh the risk IMO. I just have visions of some really bad teams later this decade, and fans booing a rapidly declining Pujols with another 5 years on his deal. No thanks.

I agree, but I wonder what playing 1st base over a season would do for Soto at the plate.

I like this idea much better going forward, but only if we get some power in RF. I hate the idea of signing anyone to a 10 year deal, especially since it flies in the face of an actual organizational philosophy we seem to have adopted. With the money saved we could find some pop in right field and still have money and flexibility to get a CJ Wilson, and still have the ability to resign Starlin and replace Aramis in the future. I like this lineup and it still gives us options in a couple of years: SS Castro 2B Barney/Dewitt/Baker RF Sizemore 3B Ramirez 1B Soto LF Soriano CF Byrd/Jackson C Castillo SP Z SP CJ Wilson SP Garza SP Dempster SP Wells/Cashner RP Marmol

Doubtful I'm all for just calling it the SWC. YES!!!!

Well said. I couldn't agree more. Thirded.

I've been doing a lot of "work" from home lately and caught tons of SEC news and spring games. For anyone that is interested, here is what I gather based on what I've heard and seen and people I've talked to who actually cover this stuff. Yes, I have tons of time on my hands. I have the flu. LSU-The defense will be salty and the talent that left will be replaced yet again by All Americans ready to step in. The skill positions are nasty fast. It's the same story though, no one to get the receivers the ball. Mettenberger will be pretty good at some point, but he is not up to speed. He has Jarrett Lee-like interception issues. Bama-Will be Bama. They better be able to run the ball with Trent Richardson because the QBs are new and making no one forget about McElroy-it might take some time. That said, there front sevens on both sides are nearly NFL caliber. Much better as the year goes on. Auburn-Way Down. They are replacing nearly everybody and if you saw them last year you know Cam won most of their games by himself. Independence Bowl if anything. Very nice RB's. Miss State-Ready to make a leap I think. This could be a big year. Their dual threat QB is only getting better and what's more THEY think they are winning the West. Maybe not, but very good. Arkansas-Ready to make another leap. Many think that they will be better with Tyler Wilson at QB who fits Petrino's system better than Mallett. Knile Davis rushed for nearly 1400 yards last year with only half a season as the premier RB. Defense improved tons last year and expecting the same. Strengths are maybe the best receiving corps in the country, RB, defensive front seven. Weaknesses are young but talented OTs and CBs. Plays at Bama and LSU though. Ole Miss-Wow. Could be a very long year. For the 2nd straight year, whoever starts at QB will not have an SEC snap under their belts. Bolden is a great RB. Defense could be really, really bad. Defensive captain and middle LB tore his ACL in the spring. That coaching seat is going to get hot. If the sinus medication keeps me awake, I will run through the East.

I have some Penn St and some Michigan friends down here who are downright giddy about what's going on with this. I have a Jim Tressel apologist friend who still doesn't think anything will happen. We're in SEC country so we get no Big 10 news, but what is everybody saying up there. Are OSU fans that naive? On a side note, I saw the LSU spring game and they still have no quarterback. They are seriously overrated. I'm thinking another Cotton Bowl this season.

Surely the NCAA will get involved with their own investigators at some point. This keeps getting worse and worse. I am still waiting for someone to explain to me how Boise State's violations totaled a few thousand, which was repaid by the athletes to a charity, yet they get cited for "Lack of Institutional Control". If this isn't a lack of control I don't know what is. This is shaping up to be nearly SMU bad. OK, maybe not THAT bad, but bad.

Uh oh. The plot thickens. http://collegefootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2011/05/07/o-h-uh-oh-buckeyes-to-probe-car-sales-to-players-and-relatives/ O-H! UH-OH! Buckeyes to probe car sales to players and relatives Posted by John Taylor on May 7, 2011, 9:44 AM EDT Well, here we go again. Even as The Ohio State University is in the midst of a major quagmire created by the lies and cover-up of its head coach, now they may have yet another issue to deal with. And one that the NCAA may very well have a significant interest in. Prompted by a Columbus Dispatch investigation that began in 2007, the OSU’s associate athletic director and head of compliance told the paper that the school will take a look into the sale of at least 50 used vehicles to student-athletes — mainly football players — and their relatives. According to the Dispatch‘s report, the probe will center on two Columbus dealerships – Jack Maxton Chevrolet and Auto Direct — and whether or not the players and/or their relatives were given deals not offered to the general public. While the two dealerships are not connected and have different owners, Aaron Kniffin was a salesman at both businesses; the Dispatch describes Kniffin as the common thread in two dozen transactions. Kniffin, if you recall, was the salesman whose name was connected to a previous investigation of vehicles being driven by quarterback Terrelle Pryor. OSU cleared Pryor of any wrongdoing in that case. And, at least for now, the OSU compliance official sees the same ending in this latest case. “We’ll take a step back, we’ll take a look at the transactions and the values, and we’ll make some determinations in consultation with the (Big Ten) conference office and go from there,” Doug Archie told the paper. “I have nothing to believe a violation has occurred.” The report, which again can be viewed by clicking HERE, is very detailed and extensive but well worth the time it takes to pour over, but here are a few of the highlights — or lowlights, depending on the amount of scarlet & gray clothing littering your closet. – Jack Maxton owner Jeff Mauk and Auto Direct owner Jason Goss were interviewed by Archie Friday and both individuals denied giving special treatment to players or their relatives. The Dispatch reports that Goss and Kniffin attended seven football games — including the 2007 national championship and 2009 Fiesta Bowl — as guests of players who were members of the football team at the time. Goss denied that he was a guest of any player to whom he sold a vehicle. – For the biggest red flag from the entire potential situation unearthed by the Dispatch, we’ll allow the paper to spell it out here: Public records show that in 2009, a 2-year-old Chrysler 300 with less than 20,000 miles was titled to then-sophomore linebacker Thaddeus Gibson. Documents show the purchase price as $0. Mauk could not explain it. “I don’t give cars for free,” he said. Gibson said he was unaware the title on his car showed zero as the sales price. “I paid for the car, and I’m still paying for it,” he said, declining to answer further questions. – Former running back Maurice Wells‘ mother, who lived in Maryland at the time, bought a vehicle from Kniffin while he was an employee of the Chevrolet dealership. That transaction is one of the four dozen or so under investigation. – The mother and brother of star quarterback Terrelle Pryor, suspended for the first five games of the 2011 season for receiving impermissible benefits in an unrelated case, also purchased vehicles from Kniffin. The transactions involving the relatives of Pryor and Wells are three of the eight involving individuals related to current or former Buckeyes student-athletes. Archie told the paper he was aware of all the transactions involving players being looked into by the Dispatch — the owners of the dealerships stated they routinely call Archie whenever an OSU athlete is going to purchase a vehicle from them — but he was not aware of the purchases made by the relatives of players. – On so many players buying vehicles from one or two dealerships, Archie told the Dispatch that “t’s something from a compliance perspective that I would rather not have.” Two former NCAA investigators who requested anonymity told the paper that there’s cause for concern as they’ve never heard of so many athletes buying cars from the same salesman. – Speaking of said salesman, Kniffin, who currently sells vehicles in another state, owes more than $130,000 to the IRS and his $570,000 Delaware County (Oh.) home is in foreclosure. – If you take the the first “n” out of Kniffin, what are you left with?* In and of itself, this latest situation casts Ohio State in a very negative light, at least in the short-term and until it’s proven one way or the other. Add it on to the previous issues, however, and it doesn’t paint a pretty picture of the current state of the flagship football program of the state of Ohio. At some point, the university is going to be forced to take a step back and take a hard look at not only head coach Jim Tressel, but Tressel’s boss, athletic director Gene Smith, as well. Then again, if some of them did that, they’d have to worry about the coach dismissing them. Right, Mr. Gee? (*that was my point, not the Dispatch’s. And it was a joke. Lighten up people.)

wow http://collegefootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2011/03/29/hbo-report-buckeyes-recruiting-target-plied-with-sex/

http://www.sportsbybrooks.com/gillispie-formally-meets-with-ttu-hiring-imminent-29565 Gillespie to Texas Tech. Thank u baby Jesus he isn't going to Arkansas.

Hadn't seen it posted yet, but here is Grant Hill's response to Jalen Rose calling black guys at Duke "Uncle Toms". Nicely done, even if he did go to Duke. http://thequad.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/03/16/grant-hills-response-to-jalen-rose/

He wins at a school where they are not a national program, there is not a big local recruiting base and he is second fiddle in the state to KU. Plus, I like the defense he teaches. Also, a little accountability and player discipline would be nice after Pelphry. I liked the man, but he couldn't control his players and just didn't seem to be able to cut it.

I honestly do not know anything about Turgeon or his commitment to A&M. I know he has turned them into a power in the Big XII. I would not classify Arkansas as rebuilding. They had the talent to win the woeful SEC-West this year and have a top 5 recruiting class coming in. It is a place where a coach can win very quickly, but I just don't know if I trust the AD to get the right guy. If and when Illinois finally gets rid of Weber, Turgeon would be near the top of my list. He's a pretty good coach. Brad Stevens. I would think that Brad Stevens would be at the top of the list of UCLA, Duke (ugh), anybody. I really think he likes it where he is.

I honestly do not know anything about Turgeon or his commitment to A&M. I know he has turned them into a power in the Big XII. I would not classify Arkansas as rebuilding. They had the talent to win the woeful SEC-West this year and have a top 5 recruiting class coming in. It is a place where a coach can win very quickly, but I just don't know if I trust the AD to get the right guy.

Buzz Williams is kinda an a-hole, but he seems to be an okay basketball coach. Also, not that it really matters, but Richardson didn't say that. I think you're dwelling a bit much on the end of the MU vs MU NCAA game from two years ago. Buzz is actually a really solid coach and good guy who often lets his emotions get the better of him (aforementioned game, several awkward postgame pressers). Buzz is a very solid recruiter. Granted, after Crean left there was a lot of playing time to offer, but it is remarkable that Marquette was able to not skip a beat and keep making the tourney even with Crean's last two empty recruiting classes. He went JUCO for those and got some really solid guys (many of which are three year players) like Jimmy Butler, Darius Johnson-Odom, and Jae Crowder. His players also love him, though he certainly pushes them hard. However, there were a few midyear transfers (largely freshmen who wanted more playing time). As a game coach, he's improving. His timeout management went from terrible to average. Offensively, I've heard he runs a similar style of offensive set to Bill Self, but someone with more basketball Xs and Os knowledge would have to confirm this. He's got a mantra about making more FTs than the other team attempts. Defensively, his teams seem to emphasize the wrong defensive focus (lower FG% vs more turnovers, etc). That's part of the reason Marquette plays as many close games as they do. By and large, I really like Buzz and hopes he stays at Marquette. I don't see him leaving for Arkansas personally, as I think a move wouldn't be so much about money as about returning closer to his Texas home. In that vein, I see Oklahoma being a bigger threat (maybe Texas Tech, but unlikely), but Arkansas is close enough that he might deem it worth it. Probably also helps that the SEC West is terrible and not nearly the gaunlet that the Big East is. Thanks! Generally speaking, I just do not see Oklahoma as nearly a good a job as Arkansas. Crappy arena, indifferent fanbase, a suddenly shaky Big XII, lack of history outside of the Mookie Blalock team. FWIW, new rumors say the AD is looking at Mike Andersen, Buzz Williams and Mark Turgeon. I'm still holding out hope for a run at Frank Martin of KSU.

How did Mike Davis fall so fast? I don't watch a lot of Big Ten, but compared to Bobby Knight I liked the guy.

Tubby just announced he's returning to Minnesota. Gotta say I'm happy he won't be at Arkansas. In other news, my UALR Trojans just lost the chance to be destroyed by Pitt.

Fans who have some bit of sanity know that Bill Self will not go to Arkansas. He does have connections to the state, but seriously. As for why Gillespie won't be the next coach, you said it there. He already gave U of A the runaround 4 years ago, plus there is the alcohol issue. I have mixed feelings about Tubby Smith. I'm not sure he has anything left in the tank, but being able to compete with KY in the SEC might drive him to succeed. Those days of the Arkansas/Kentucky rivalry when it was every Super Bowl Sunday were epic. As to why Arkansas is desirable: The most rabid fanbase in the SEC outside of KY. A great basketball history (in SEC terms). A nice 20k seat arena and unlimited resources. Pretty decent recruiting base. It's not in the Big East. A top 5 recruiting class and a decent core returning. Not to go offtrack, but the fanbase is not that delusional as the national press would suggest. I think our former football coach is proving the fans in Arkansas right every day. I love Nolan and wish he would come back to coach, but he needed to go when he did. He burned that bridge himself. People in Ark see Mike Andersen as a link to that style of play. If Buzz W is a Gillespie, slow it down style coach, that will not endear him to the fans.

Can anyone out there give me their assessment of Buzz Williams? I am a Razorback fan and he seems to be the hot name right now leaking out. I'm sure there aren't many/any SEC fans here, but FWIW, rumors from those in the know say that there are some on the U of A board of trustees will not pursue Mike Andersen because they are still butt hurt about his ties to Nolan. Nolan did say he supports Mike going to Arkansas if he were offered the job. Arkansas will not hire Gillespie.