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They have a few more hours to officially set the roster. If I am a betting man, I say that Sing doesn't make the roster. I found it very interesting that they traded Leicester to the Rangers. I figured that Jon wouldn't be in their plans.

The Cubs, along with the rest of the major league teams, will set their forty man rosters on November 18th. Those that aren't on the forty man roster and are eligible for the Rule 5 Draft, will be eligible for the Draft regardless if they have a signed contract to play the 2006 season with the Cubs.

Here is the rule on the Rule 5 draft.. After a player has been in the minors for three seasons (four seasons for those who were eighteen years old or younger on June 5th preceding the signing of their first contract), they must be placed on the forty man roster or offered in the Rule 5 draft. It'll be interesting to see who the Cubs protect. I wouldn't be a bit surprised if they leave Sing off the 40-man roster and expose him to the draft.

Wow, I didn't even notice that.. no need to worry about my production since I've never had much to begin with.. :lol:

No audio highlights from the Diamond Jaxx players?? I've been robbed... lol

In the Cubs case, the pitchers go from a very friendly enviornment in Pringles Park, as well as the entire Southern League, to the worst possible league to be in from a pitchers perspective in the Pacific Coast League. The PCL is a hitters haven and the pitchers REALLY have to concentrate on getting their pitches out of the danger zone. In the Southern League, there are places (Jacksonville, Birmingham, West Tenn) where you can get away with occasionally throwing a pitch in somebody's wheel house. Not so in the very hitter firendly PCL.

Uncharacteristic performance thus far by Goozy as far as the walks are concerned. I think people still need to remember that Guzman is basically pitching Spring Training at this point. Get him through the AFL INJURY-FREE, and I think he will be good to go when pitchers and catchers report in late February.

The jump from A to Double-A is by far the biggest jump. The reason is quite simple. This jump seperates the true prospects from the guys that make a living feasting on A ball pitchers (or hitters). I have said this many times, anybody who makes it to Double-A ball has a legitimate shot at going to the majors as long as the player in question works hard, puts up good numbers and stays out of trouble.

You guys make it seem like 24 is ancient when in reality its still quite young. The average age for a Double-A player is just 23 and there are PLENTY of 24 year old guys that are top of the line prospects in the game. As for his arm problems, there isn't a blue chip caliber pitcher in the Cubs system other than Zambrano who has pitched three consecutive seasons without arm problems. Lets see, should we trade Mark Prior becuase he can't go a full season without getting hurt? Maybe Wood should be shown the door because he just can't seem to stay healthy for a full season. It amazes me the ignorance that you guys are showing. If any of you guys posting asked Oneri Fleita or Jim Hendry about making Angel Guzman a relief pitcher they would look at you like you just stepped out of the nuthouse. The transition from starter to relief pitcher is huge. You just don't do that for someone as immensely talented as Guzman, let alone any pitcher that has put up solid numbers as a starting pitcher. If he continues to be injury prone, so be it. It's not the end of the world. Nolasco, Pinto, Hill, Ryu.. there all waiting in the wings. Again, its goes back to not screwing around with his role as a pitcher. If Guzman is healthy, he will be a dominating pitcher in the majors and you folks that are butchering him because he's hurt, will be all over the Guzman bandwagon. If he continues to be hurt, then I'll continue to maintain that the Cubs did the right thing by not making him a reliever because the transition would have screwed him up anyway.

The bottom line on Guzman is this. He has got a tremendous amount of talent. Is he going to stay healthy for a whole season? Based on the fact that he is now in the best shape of his career, my answer is a resounding yes. I'm just in awe of all the posts about sending this guy, who by the way has four above average pitches, to the bullpen. You don't send a guy who can throw four major league type pitches to the bullpen. Guzman is a starting pitcher. I'm willing to bet the folks that want to trade Guzman or aren't on his bandwagon have never seen him pitch because if you folks have, you wouldn't be talking like this. I've said it before and I will say it again, Guzman is the real deal.

The Cubs put him on the forty man roster on October 2003. Guzman was very healthy from 2001-2003. He got injured in the second half of the 2003 season. It's not like his entire career has been beseiged with injuries. I understand where you and the other folks wanting Guzman to come out of the bullpen are coming from but having seen him play, he is better suited for the starting rotation because he has four above average pitches (fastball, sinker, curve, change). I don't think the Cubs can afford to send a guy with this much talent to the bullpen. It's my humble opinion (not that it means anything) that you don't change a pitchers role unless he fails miserably. Guzman hasn't failed miserably, he has been hurt. Will he be healthy in 2006?? Who knows, but if he is healthy and stays healthy, this guy is a Cy Young award winning caliber pitcher.

Guzman has at least two more options left, meaning he can be placed in the minors for two more seasons. I think if Guzzy has a lights out spring, he has a chance to make the parent club but I honestly think that he is going to be assigned to either the Diamond Jaxx or Iowa.

US Soccer.. Not to show any disrespect, but you sound like someone who doesn't follow the minors. Allow me to enlighten you on those numbers you are throwing around. Guzman made fourteen starts in short-season A ball in 2001. Fourteen starts is a full season in short season A ball. In 2002, Guzman split time between Lansing and Daytona, making twenty-five appearances (twenty-four starts) between the two teams, another full season of baseball. In 2003, Guzman pitched the first half of the season and tore his labrum in his second start of the second half of the season with the Diamond Jaxx. In 2004, Guzman made eleven second half starts. He later admitted that he was trying to hard and did more harm to his career. In 2005 with his labrum 100%, Guzman hurt his forearm and missed most of the season. The injury gave Guzman the opportunity to develop his body. This latest injury to Guzman could have been the best thing to happen to him because Guzman is now bigger and STRONGER than he has ever been in his professional career. He is currently pitching in the Arizona Fall League against the best minor league talent. Now that Guzman is at 200 pounds and strong, I don't think we are going to see anymore significant injuries. When this kid is healthy, he is the best starting pitcher, stuff wise, in the ENTIRE Cubs organization (that includes Prior, Zambrano and Wood). Trust me on this one, leave him in the rotation. Guzman is that good.

Good luck Bo, Daytona's loss is Stockton's gain. I'm sure you will do a great job in the Cali league. Keep in touch.

1. Somebody suggested they liked Marshall (if healthy) better than Pinto or anybody, suggesting that he throws as hard as Pinto but has better control. Ron, would you say that's true, from your observation on Marshall? I was under the impression that neither his fastball velocity nor his fastball movement were nearly as good as Pinto's. I'd have guessed his fastball more in the Hill 88-92 range. What are your thoughts? I honestly don't have an opinion on Marshall because he hasn't pitched a long enough period of time without getting hurt. His health concerns me. As for Pinto, he just needs to harness his control. I agree with you on the anti-HR statement. He rarely gives up the dinger. *note: I wonder if Pinto's stuff isn't underappreciated a bit by some posters. Sure, he's kinda wild. But man, that guy was totally anti-HR this season. You can put a few more guys on base and get away with it when you didn't give up HR's. (See Zambrano. And see Maddux for the opposite, a guy who may have a nice WHIP but gives up so many HR's that his ERA will be average.) 2. Ron, how good do you think Ryu's stuff is, compared to the other lead guys? What is it that makes him not quite as good as Nolasco or the other guys? Not quite as much velocity on the fastball? Not quite as much life? Not quite as good control of the breaking ball? I thought Ryu pitched as good as Nolasco and Pinto this season. He was durable, which is exactly what the Cubs wanted out of him this season. Ryu throwa his fastball in the upper 80's-low 90's, has a dynamite curveball and a solid change. I think he's one of those guys that's flying under the radar. I look for him to have a solid 2006 season in Iowa. 3. Somebody touched on Hill, how he can have "electric stuff" but still profile as no better than a #3. I wonder if the "electric stuff" is misleading; he's got an electric pitch, the curveball. But I'm not under the impression that either his change or fastball qualify as "electric". One electric knockout pitch with some perfectly fine other pitches can win a lot of games. But I think really it's the curveball that's special. His electric stuff is his devastating curveball. His fastball sits in the 90-93 range but the interesting thing is that his heater has late action as far as velocity. The ball explodes through the zone. I have said this before and I will say it again, Hill could be very dominating if he consistently locates and establishes his fastball. That curveball has Barry Zito type action written all over it. 4. Ron, thanks for feedback on Pie's defense. The tepid report on his defense concerned me some, since I've always assumed that his defense was going to be a signature virtue for him. The thing that pisses me off about publications like Baseball America is the fact that they take people's opinion at face value instead of doing there homework. I have no idea how they could thnk Pie's defense is raw. It's pretty obvious that nobody at BA has ever seen him play or they saw him play in a game where Pie wasn't at his best. The only weakness in Pie's defense is his that he is tenative when coming in on a shallow fly. The guy is incredibly solid everywhere else defensively. Offensively, he needs to make better contact. Keep in mind, this kid is still only 20 years old.

Posted: Tue Oct 04, 2005 2:53 pm Post subject: -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Notes on each, although most of this is old news: Felix Pie -Power was finally developing. -Noteworthy tools. -Hits for average even against lefties. -Still raw on the bases, in the OF, and with the strike zone, although he does manage to get the bat on the ball even with bad swings. Matt Murton -Few holes in his swing with great strike zone judgment. -Uses all fields. -Should develop into a 15-20 homer kind of guy. -Solid defender, although his arm is a bit suspect. -Could become a middle of the lineup kind of guy. Rich Hill -Finally harnessed his electric stuff and put his control problems aside. -Performed well enough in AA and AAA to give hope for his future. -At best? #3 starter. -At worst? An effective LOOGY. Ricky Nolasco -Made a run at the SL pitching triple crown. -Aggressive, willing to challenge hitters. -Three good pitches (91-93 fb, good curve, and change). -Able to reach back for something extra when needed. -Command and control freak who won't give up baserunners easily. Renyel Pinto -Struggled at AAA, but made a comeback at AA. -Still has plenty of trouble locating and commanding the strike zone. -Three plus pitches (91-94 fb, slider, and excellent change). -Has a future, but like Hill in previous years, will need to be able to harness his stuff effectively I'm not surprised by the amount of Jaxx players in the top twenty although I do wish they would have given Sing a little more respect. As far as the players rankings go, Pie is about where he should be. He has the potential to be something REALLY special, but he needs to work on his contact at the plate. One thing I take exception to is the fact that BA says he is raw in the field. He was the best defensive CF in this league before his injury bar nobody. Murton could have been ranked higher. As for his 15-20 HR capability, he is already there. I also take offense about his arm strength. He has a good arm for a left-fielder. It's not a cannon but its not horrible either. Hill, Nolasco and Pinto were without doubt the three best pitchers the Jaxx had this season with Ryu very close behind. I fully expect Hill to be a 3 or 4 starter as long as he maintains the control he had this past season. Nolasco is the guy that I really believe could step up and be a number 2 or 3 starter. I LOVE his ability to get out of jams. He has a bulldog type mentality on the mound and fully expect him to have a ton of success in his second go around with Triple-A hitters in 2006. Pinto is going to need to harness his control in order for him to reach his potential. If he does, his stuff is frightening. The fact that he is a left-hander, he could very easily be an above average starting pitcher in the majors. I am going to be very interested in what happens in the Arizona Fall League. I know there a ton of people that are off the Angel Guzman bandwagon but I am not one of them. I'm looking forward to see how good Guzman can be against elite competition.

Everybody enjoy the game.. the radio station is back to 100% and I am feeling frisky tonight.. lol

MILB.com will have the video feed for tomorrow night's game and then they will patch my audio with their video feed on Friday as well as the final two games if they are needed. Hopefully, the radio station gets everything figured out before tomorrow night. At least you kids got to hear a REAL broadcaster in Joe Block. Joe does a great job in Jacksonville.

the transmitter shut down in the eighth inning.. ARGH!!! to give you an update.. Searles pitched a perfect seventh inning, the Diamond Jaxx got a bases loaded walk by Greenberg to make it a 7-4 game.. Aardsma pitched a perfect eighth inning.. Shipman pitched a perfect ninth, striking out two.. PUT IT IN THE W COLUMN.. Jaxx win 7-4..

I LOVE the tension before game one.. you could cut the tension with a knife.. this is baseball at it's BEST!!!

The gun in Jackson iis dead on accurate JAXXFAN.. Robert Jones, the operations director, is a former police officer who made sure that radar gun is dead on accurate. There is a radar gun in Jacksonville and I will let everybody know how hard he is throwing tonight, not that it matters.. If Ryu LOCATES his pitches, it doesn't make a hill of beans how hard he throws it.

Guys, think of it this way.. the Jacksonville starting rotation takes a HUGE frop-off after Billingsley. If Billingsley does his thing and the Diamond Jaxx are down 1-0, it won't be the end of the world. Tomorrow night Pinto faces Hull. On paper, thats win number one for the Jaxx. Friday night, Nolasco faces Juarez. Jaxx are up 2-1. Saturday Marmol faces Hanrahan or Orenduff. Series over in four. Ryu is up for the challenge and there is no sense putting our number one up against their number one if their 2-4 starters couldn't even crack the Jaxx playoff roatation. I personally love this move by Bobby D and A.D.

Greenberg hit .263 vs. right-handed pitching and .283 agaiinst left-handed pitching in 2005. No clue on what he did in 2004.

I don't know.. I look quite stupid with no hair. lol

We moved our game on Friday to 5:05 p.m. CDT. That is game three of the series with the Mudcats. BTW, Chris, you did hear right. I had to shave my head. It was a bet I made with the guys after falling behind by five games in mid-August. The bet was made on the way back home to Jacksonville after the Jaxx had been swept by the Suns.