kroth1342

Does anyone know how much we have committed to players under contract for 07 as of now?

So, you try to tell people you're full of bs? The San Francisco Chronicle, citing team sources, reported earlier Monday that Macha's job was in jeopardy due to his trouble communicating with his players and his "callous attitude" toward injured players. Macha's relationships with a number of players have been the source of Bay Area stories for several seasons. Macha almost didn't return to the A's after last season, but was later rehired. "For the last two years, our relationship has deteriorated to nothing," back-up catcher Adam Melhuse said, according to the Chronicle. "He didn't even speak to me for well over the last month. For me, as a backup, all I want is communication. Every other coach, I get along with great, but with Macha, it is not an exaggeration to say he doesn't speak to me -- not 'Hi,' not anything. Sounds to me like Beane's ego is DEFINITELY the overriding factor in all this.

Don't know if pilot is the best synonym for "manager" at the current moment. Don't be so sensitive - it wasn't made in poor taste to start: QUIT http://www.users.muohio.edu/rothkr/catching%20feelings%20copy.jpg

Dusty Baker is available right now to replace Lyons.

The Cubs would have at least one or two cheap, homegrown pitchers.

The whole team sucked.

Apples and Oranges in terms of the type of player. Crawford may not have as high as slugging% as Carbera, but is Carbera gonna swipe 50+ bases and play gold glove defense. I'd still take Cabera first, but Crawford isn't that far off. I'll take the .998 OPS OF rather than the .840 OF who steals bases by a huge margin - and to think Crawford isn't that far off, you must not be able to pass a urine test. Disgruntled Cubs Fan = Dusty Baker stan - "love that speed dude" Its unfortunate you can't debate your point without personal insults. How old are you? 22

Apples and Oranges in terms of the type of player. Crawford may not have as high as slugging% as Carbera, but is Carbera gonna swipe 50+ bases and play gold glove defense. I'd still take Cabera first, but Crawford isn't that far off. I'll take the .998 OPS OF rather than the .840 OF who steals bases by a huge margin - and to think Crawford isn't that far off, you must not be able to pass a urine test. Disgruntled Cubs Fan = Dusty Baker stan - "love that speed dude"

At least they're in the playoffs.

I'm sorry, I didn't read what you said because I was distracted by the 4 months of a .530 and above SLG.

cosign. I wouldn't say he didn't spend enough time in the minors, he had almost 1300 AB from 1999-2001. He probably needed to finish 2001 at AAA instead of playing with the Cubs, and that may have delayed his development somewhat. The fact is, his 2003 and 2004 seasons, where he contributed 3.2 and 5.2 WARP3 would fit in very well now if he was still with the team - had Dusty NOT tried to fit a round hole into a square peg with Corey as the leadoff hitter. Corey's freefall under Baker and Co. in 2005 was compounded even more by fan abuse. Suffice to say, Baker did not put Corey in a position to be a useful player on the team nor to take advantage of his rarer skillset. IMO, you missed the point of wastra's post. And missed it entirely. the number of ABS are not that important. What is important is the BA/OBP/SLG/OPS numbers. He was drafted in 1998. In 1999 he had 475 ABs in low A and put up good numbers (.320/.358/.592 /.950). Not hard in low A for talented players In 2000 he had 444 ABs in AA and put up mediocre numbers (.261/.338/.491/.829) and was brought up to the majors as a Septemeber call up. In 2001 he had 386 ABs in AAA and put up terrible numbers (.253/.308/.387/.695). In 59 games and 131 ABs in the bigs he put up even worse numbers (.221/.266/.336/.602) In 2002 he played full time for the big club. Patterson was rushed through the minors. It is my opinon that he never should have been promoted to AAA in 2001 and certianly shouldn't have been sloted for the starting spot with the numbers he put up in AAA and in his breif stint in the majors. B/c the Cubs value tools over all else he was. No one knows what Patterson might have become if he was given time to develop whatever skills he had in the minors. Ok, but that's not the point of this thread. To summarize: Corey was a CF who: 1) above avg SLG, below avg OBP 2) had great speed and base stealing success 3) played good defense 4) entering his prime years under Cubs control at a low cost Dusty wanted Corey in the leadoff slot to utilize #2, because he possessed the tools, not the skills, of a leadoff man. Corey's struggles derive from this decision, even though he could serve as an incredibly capable CF in the mid-bottom of the order.

Trailer trash like yourself who can't spell?

http://espn.go.com/i/columnists/stark_jayson_m.jpg = http://encyclopedia.quickseek.com/images/thumb/180px-Curious_george_ether.jpg

Want a great formula for finishing last? Here it is: Cubs pitchers have issued the most walks in the major leagues (667), while Cubs hitters have drawn the fewest walks (387). Last team to pull that off, according to the Elias Sports Bureau -- the 1972 Angels (620 issued, 358 drawn). But let's think about that last note another way. Ever heard of a team that had a minus-280 walk differential? Hey, it's happened -- but not in Derrek Lee's lifetime. Last team to issue that many more walks than it drew, according to Elias -- the 1971 Indians (770-467), a team that crossed the magic minus-300 threshold. We couldn't find a connection between that team and this team. But if anyone feels like hopping on the El, two noted Chicagoans who were members of those 1971 Indians -- Hawk Harrelson and Ed Farmer. Jayson Stark just ethered the Cubs. To summarize for Hendry: Jim, our batters drawing walks - GOOD our pitchers nibbling (per the pitching coach) and giving up walks - BAD

baseball7897 has an Angels fetish. His idea of a damn good Angels player is about the same as our idea of Jose Macias. SONNED http://encyclopedia.quickseek.com/images/thumb/180px-Curious_george_ether.jpg

Affirmative action tells me that our next manager will be Latin or white. Sorry Frank.

cosign. I wouldn't say he didn't spend enough time in the minors, he had almost 1300 AB from 1999-2001. He probably needed to finish 2001 at AAA instead of playing with the Cubs, and that may have delayed his development somewhat. The fact is, his 2003 and 2004 seasons, where he contributed 3.2 and 5.2 WARP3 would fit in very well now if he was still with the team - had Dusty NOT tried to fit a round hole into a square peg with Corey as the leadoff hitter. Corey's freefall under Baker and Co. in 2005 was compounded even more by fan abuse. Suffice to say, Baker did not put Corey in a position to be a useful player on the team nor to take advantage of his rarer skillset.

While that is true, that doesn't mean he didn't bring other useful skills to the table that could help the team. Batting him at the bottom of the order is a solution.

As we all know, CP saw a significant jump in production from 2002 (age 22) to the 2003 (age 23) seasons, going from a .678 to .840 OPS. He continued to produce in 2004, with a less impressive .772 OPS, but with his best walk rate of his career [OBP .054 higher than BA]. The downfall began there, as Dusty's strong push to keep CP as the leadoff hitter, a role his skillset CLEARLY WAS NOT meant for, began. We all know the disastrous 2005 season and its .602 OPS. The point is, how badly would we love to have the a good defensive center fielder (13-22 FRAR) with an .800 OPS and 30-40 steals hitting in the 6 spot? Oh, we had one. Just another reason to be thankful Dusty is gone.

No. I could root for Manny, I could even root for Edmonds in cubbie blue. But Bonds would seriously make me consider not being a Cubs fan, atleast for a year. Did you cheer for Sosa when he was on the Cubs?

http://www.londonist.com/attachments/Hazel/ether.JPG

This seems to disprove Jim's theory that hitters have a high OBP because they're good hitters and hit for a high batting average. Where are we in stolen bases? Maybe we just need more speed... We're 5th in SB, but with the 4th most CS, leaves us with a SB% of 71% 8th best in the NL. You're right, we probably need more speed. Lots and lots of speed.

Thank you.

Trib: The Cubs entered Tuesday's game with a .276 batting average in the second half, best in the National League. Yet they still ranked only 15th for the season in runs scored, due largely to a consistent lack of clutch hitting. It could be that, but I think the more likely culprit for our lack of run scoring ability is our .326 OBP during that time, ranking 14th in the NL. Our SLG is not a problem, .449 good for 3rd in the league. To recap: 2nd BA 3rd SLG 14th OBP 15th Runs Scored Getting the point, Jim?

Co-sign