bc2k

Whoa. The line for Corey bashing usually forms right behind me, but this is a bit much. The fact that he is going at all should tell you something about his "mindset." He's a professional athlete for goodness sakes. I'm sure he doesn't enjoy being awful at the plate. Let him go work on it, show up early for spring training- again, and let the winter play out. At least there is an effort to improve. Playing a 1/2 season of winter ball doesn't tell me anything positive about his mindset. It says he will do just enough to get his critics and Hendry off his back, but not as much as a player who really wants to reach his potential would. And I'd hope he doesn't enjoy being awful at the plate, but if I were in his shoes when asked by reporters if I'd consider winter ball, I'd enthusiastically respond with a: "YES! I'm having a very poor year and I have disappointed Cubs fans and the team, but I know I can do better. I plan on getting better by playing the game when most MLB players aren't: in winter ball." "But my game isn't the only thing I need to improve on. I'm also going to adjust my attitude, because there were times when I just didn't care about the game. Remember my 'It's just a game' comment? I'm going to work on my intelligence too." To clarify, though certain beat writers reported that Corey uttered the "it's just a game" comment, it was later confirmed that Corey actually said "it's just the game." Big difference. Carry on. I'm aware of that, but believe that his quote was "corrected" as a cover up. I think the first interpretation is correct because it's certainly consistent with his attitude. Oh, dear Lord. Corey's got enough issues on his own without people making things up. Did I make up the fact that Corey said baseball was just a game? Did I make up the fact that Corey only wants to play 1/2 of Winter ball? I think those two decisions allow the fan some insight to the mindset/desire/attitude of CP. Who is this Corey Patterson you speak of? Is he even a real player? I don't understand your point made in your post, but your avatar interests me. Could you explain to me what happened in that picture? I know I've heard the story but don't remember many details.

Whoa. The line for Corey bashing usually forms right behind me, but this is a bit much. The fact that he is going at all should tell you something about his "mindset." He's a professional athlete for goodness sakes. I'm sure he doesn't enjoy being awful at the plate. Let him go work on it, show up early for spring training- again, and let the winter play out. At least there is an effort to improve. Playing a 1/2 season of winter ball doesn't tell me anything positive about his mindset. It says he will do just enough to get his critics and Hendry off his back, but not as much as a player who really wants to reach his potential would. And I'd hope he doesn't enjoy being awful at the plate, but if I were in his shoes when asked by reporters if I'd consider winter ball, I'd enthusiastically respond with a: "YES! I'm having a very poor year and I have disappointed Cubs fans and the team, but I know I can do better. I plan on getting better by playing the game when most MLB players aren't: in winter ball." "But my game isn't the only thing I need to improve on. I'm also going to adjust my attitude, because there were times when I just didn't care about the game. Remember my 'It's just a game' comment? I'm going to work on my intelligence too." To clarify, though certain beat writers reported that Corey uttered the "it's just a game" comment, it was later confirmed that Corey actually said "it's just the game." Big difference. Carry on. I'm aware of that, but believe that his quote was "corrected" as a cover up. I think the first interpretation is correct because it's certainly consistent with his attitude. Oh, dear Lord. Corey's got enough issues on his own without people making things up. Did I make up the fact that Corey said baseball was just a game? Did I make up the fact that Corey only wants to play 1/2 of Winter ball? I think those two decisions allow the fan some insight to the mindset/desire/attitude of CP.

My plate patience comment was in terms of the playoffs, but I can see how you thought I meant the regular season. Specifically, the big inning of Game 3 where they made Roy Oswalt throw ~50 pitches in one inning. But in the playoffs as a whole, the Sox's lineup 1-9 were more patient than in the regular season. Guys like Juan Uribe, who rarely walked in the regular season, were drawing a handful of walks in 12 games. The Sox fouled off lots of pitches too, always working the opposing starting pitcher. That's small ball. Plate patience isn't simply defined by walks. Take Tadahito Iguchi, for example. All through the regular and post season, he was patient enough to take pitches--often strikes--early in the count to allow Scott Podsednik the opportunity to steal a base. Stats don't account for that. That's small ball. Statistics also don't account for the unofficial sacrifices batter's make. There is no statistic showing a sacrifice where a batter intentionally grounds to the right side of the infield to advance a baserunner. Again, Tadahito Iguchi has performed this sacrifice dozens of times throughout the 2004 season. According to the statistics, it is recorded as an out, and his batting average is lowered. The stats do not note the ground out benefitting the team. That's small ball. The numbers you and others use show the total team's statistics, but two men, Podsednik and Iguchi, greatly change the makeup of the team in a manner that at this point, is impossible to calculate on a stat sheet. I think this is where the confusion lies: Only two of the nine men in the lineup play much small ball, so one cannot qualify the entire lineup as a small ball team. That's where the season-long statistics of the entire lineup skew your perception of the team. The Sox are really an all-ball team, meaning they beat teams playing for one run or playing for the big inning. But one cannot say that they don't play small ball or that small ball wasn't an important reason for winning the AL Central and the World Series.

Well, my father and his father were Cubs fans, so it was handed down to me. I vaguely remember one Cubs game that the three of us got to attend. It was my first game at Wrigley. Also, it made my life as a kid to be "drafted" onto a Little League team with the Cubs name. I think that solidified my fanaticism, because that was a special summer in my life. Mark Grace has been my favorite Cub for a long time, and I grew up idolizing him. I'm sure that had something to do with it too.

Agreed. Anyone else want Steve Stone as pitching coach?

You guys have a valid point about wins not being the end all be all of a starting pitcher, but you lose ground when comparing Wood to pitchers like Clemens and Nolan Ryan. Those pitchers have won 20 games and are great pitchers. Sure they have had years when their win totals were low, but comparing them to KW doesn't work. KW hasn't won more than 14 games in a season... ever. Ryan and Clemens have. So before you spout that KW's win total is an aberration of his poor offense or bullpen, look at his career as a whole. Besides, blaming poor bullpens for KW not having won more than 14 wins in a single year is pathetic. If he had better control, he wouldn't walk so many guys and run up his pitch count, leaving him too tired to throw deep into games he was leading when he left.

I watch because Dan Jiggetts is the man: http://chicago.comcastsportsnet.com/images/talent/dan-j.jpg Dan Jiggetts is not the man. He's a horrible moderator. He asks a question to a 4-man panel that has a lot to say, but he constantly interrupts the expert panel to inject his own opinion. Let the experts speak, conversational bully. :evil:

Have you fixed your bad mechanics so you won't get injured again? Isn't it Ironic that you joked/took a stab at Steve Stone criticizing your mechanics earlier in the year by saying "Maybe someone can teach me better Mechanics, I don't know", and then later in the year you were shut down YET AGAIN!!? When you go down again next year, will you please stay in the 8th inning, because that's the only way you can actually help this team. Would you please waive your non trade clause to get traded so you don't ruin another one of our chances with your injuries? feel free to use any one of those. . . :roll: why is it that people expect wood to be able to 'fix' his broken mechanics? if his mechanics are bad and are the cause of his injury, complain about the coaching staff failing to fix them, not a guy in his mid 20s w/ no coaching/mechanic fixing experience. it's not like rothschild has the magic key to fix the problem but wood has refused to use it. At $12 million for 2006, I expect this bum to lead the team. I expect more than 14 wins. I expect him to be man enough to change his mechanics in order to fulfill his obligations. Take responsiblity for your previous failures and waive your no-trade clause. No kidding. If we fans who have never played professional baseball can tell he needs to correct his pitching mechanics, then KW should be able to recognize and fix his problem. Just because he's in his 20s and isn't a coach doesn't absolve him of his responsibility.

Have you fixed your bad mechanics so you won't get injured again? Isn't it Ironic that you joked/took a stab at Steve Stone criticizing your mechanics earlier in the year by saying "Maybe someone can teach me better Mechanics, I don't know", and then later in the year you were shut down YET AGAIN!!? When you go down again next year, will you please stay in the 8th inning, because that's the only way you can actually help this team. Would you please waive your non trade clause to get traded so you don't ruin another one of our chances with your injuries? feel free to use any one of those. . . :roll: why is it that people expect wood to be able to 'fix' his broken mechanics? if his mechanics are bad and are the cause of his injury, complain about the coaching staff failing to fix them, not a guy in his mid 20s w/ no coaching/mechanic fixing experience. it's not like rothschild has the magic key to fix the problem but wood has refused to use it. At $12 million for 2006, I expect this bum to lead the team. I expect more than 14 wins. I expect him to be man enough to change his mechanics in order to fulfill his obligations. Take responsiblity for your previous failures and waive your no-trade clause. There's that magic word yet again - "bum". Dobson, you need to post more so I can see the girl in your avatar more. Who is that?

It's one of those times when numbers are thrown out the window. I stand by my statement that if you put the 2004 offense on the 2005 team, they don't win the division, and would choke in the playoffs. Scott Podsednik and Tadahito Iguchi drastically improve the White Sox, no matter what the numbers report. Did you watch Game 3 of the World Series? The plate patience of the 2005 team was the antithesis of the 2004 team.

Nobody is saying that the pitching wasn't much better in 2005 than it was in 2004. That certainly was necessary to accomplish what they did. But if you were to put the Sox's 2004 offense on the 2005 team, I don't think they win the division, let alone the World Series. I say this because the 2005 offense was much more consistent from night to night than 2004's higher-scoring offense that was often all-or-nothing.

Whoa. The line for Corey bashing usually forms right behind me, but this is a bit much. The fact that he is going at all should tell you something about his "mindset." He's a professional athlete for goodness sakes. I'm sure he doesn't enjoy being awful at the plate. Let him go work on it, show up early for spring training- again, and let the winter play out. At least there is an effort to improve. Playing a 1/2 season of winter ball doesn't tell me anything positive about his mindset. It says he will do just enough to get his critics and Hendry off his back, but not as much as a player who really wants to reach his potential would. And I'd hope he doesn't enjoy being awful at the plate, but if I were in his shoes when asked by reporters if I'd consider winter ball, I'd enthusiastically respond with a: "YES! I'm having a very poor year and I have disappointed Cubs fans and the team, but I know I can do better. I plan on getting better by playing the game when most MLB players aren't: in winter ball." "But my game isn't the only thing I need to improve on. I'm also going to adjust my attitude, because there were times when I just didn't care about the game. Remember my 'It's just a game' comment? I'm going to work on my intelligence too." To clarify, though certain beat writers reported that Corey uttered the "it's just a game" comment, it was later confirmed that Corey actually said "it's just the game." Big difference. Carry on. I'm aware of that, but believe that his quote was "corrected" as a cover up. I think the first interpretation is correct because it's certainly consistent with his attitude.

I wasn't trying to post ignorantly, sorry. Back to baseball, wouldn't it be unfair to penalize a groundball pitcher who has a good strikeout:walk ratio but obviously doesn't strike out as many as a power pitcher who also has a good strikeout:walk ratio?

Interesting. I hadn't thought of that.

KILL ME NOW. If you want to give Ozzie MOY, fine. He's deserving, that's probably not arguable. But the whole smartball is crap. The Sox won because their entire pitching staff basically had the years of their lives and the Sox were one of the most homer-happy teams in the AL, with seven (SEVEN) 15-HR hitters in their lineup. Was Guillen great this year? Yes. Was it "smartball" that got them there? Absolutely not. And thanks for the laugh, Ryan. :lol: Smartball is definately what won them the division and the World Series. Their team home run total was impressive, but remember that the Sox offense was by far the worst part of the team all year. They certainly didn't have the ability to outmash teams in a home run, doubles contest. In 2005, the Sox double-digit scoring was far less than in 2004, when they relied on the home run/big inning and didn't have Podsednik and Iguchi playing smallball. Those two players were so good at playing smallball, that the entire team's philosophy changed for 2005. Ozzie had told Ken Williams since he was hired, that he wanted a balanced team like his World Champion Marlins, with a Pierre and Castillo-like top of the order, air-tight defense and five quality starting pitchers who can win in the postseason. With the manpower in place for 2005, Ozzie was able to implement his smallball philosophy on the team. Part of that philosophy was playing for one run and the lead in the first inning. You're correct in giving their pitching a lot of the credit, because that is the team's strength. But as far as hitting, smallball definately played a large part in the Sox's and Ozzie Guillen's success. This is how I would like to see the Cubs 2006 team constructed. We need men who can play smallball in the top 2 spots like Pods and Iguchi, at least two more quality bullpen arms, and possibly a new pitching coach (Oscar Acosta, anyone?). Assuming all five are healthy, our starting pitching is good enough. 1 Pierre CF 2 Furcal SS 3 Lee 1B 4 Ramirez 3B 5 Encarnacion-type RF 6 Barrett C 7 Murton LF 8 Cedeno 2B Hendry has a lot of money to work with this offseason, and trading Walker would free up more. I think this lineup would also allow him to acquire a decent bullpen pitcher or two. With Furcal and Cedeno starting, the bench is improved by pushing Neifi to the bench. Though I wish he were signed for less money, Neifi does provide a nice safety net if Cedeno struggles.

I hear you. I had the same thoughts in Aug/Sep that Dusty was denying the rookies playing time after the Cubs had been virtually eliminated from the playoffs because of his own personal goal of managing another .500 team. Remember that quote he had down the stretch where he said something like, "I've only managed two teams that didn't finish .500 or better." Dusty has this inferiority complex--maybe justified because the media could have been pressuring him--that makes him sound childish. Take the Subway sandwich "competition" of 2004. When a reporter jokingly informed Dusty that Ozzie's sub is a better seller than Dusty's, Dusty said something like, "Hey dude, Subway originally only wanted me to do that promotion. The only reason Ozzie has a sandwich is because I told Subway that the only way I'll do the promotion is if you include Ozzie too." Dusty, the reporter was joking with you, and even if he wasn't, the popularity of a freaking sandwich is meaningless. Why would you care, why would you get so defensive? This is the same mindset of his .500 goal. He wanted to reach .500 so when criticized in the future, he can point to his history of mostly managing winners. He's so defensive about it that it potentially hurt his 2006 team by not playing Murton and Cedeno more in 2005. As a fan, that's extremely frustrating.

No brainer. I would substitute Washburn in for Byrd if it was roughly the same cost. Neither Washburn nor Byrd are worth near that much. How about taking that $7 million, adding another $3-4 million to it and getting Giles? Can't argue with that, in fact I would much prefer it. I was just looking at alternatives to the spots filled who would cost about the same, and be more productive (imho) I'm just not of the opinion that the Cubs need to go out and get another starting pitcher. We all know the health problems this team has had, and of course, Hendry should always keep that in the back of his mind. However, if we can believe the progress reports on Wood, the Cubs are looking at a front four of Zambrano, Prior, Wood, and Maddux next April. I see no reason why Williams can't be the fifth man, unless he is part of a deal that brings the Cubs a very good outfield bat. Williams is no Cy Young candidate, but approx. $500,000 for a 23-year old fifth starter with a career ERA under 4.00 is nothing to sneeze at. If someone gets hurt, Rusch can start for an extended period of time. Guzman, if healthy and producing in the minors, could get a shot. Hill is still here. So is Mitre, although I'm not as high on him. Perhaps Pinto or Nolasco could make a start or two if needed (as a last resort). There are plenty of options there. Instead of spending $7 million+ on another starter, the best move IMO is to use that for a big-time bat in the outfield. Well put. I agree.

I can't argue with either. Not many publications picked the Sox to win the division, in fact, many had them as low as 4th place. Based on Guillen's successful smartball philosophy leading his team to the most wins in the league, Guillen is the obvious choice for AL Manager of the Year. Wedge's Indians had a great second half, but they were expected by many publications to finish in first, and definately higher than Chicago. Also, in the second half, his Indians were swept twice in Jacobs Field by the Sox. I don't see a better choice in the NL than Bobby Cox. His Braves looked to be dead at one point, but his team regrouped and won the division. Who were the other division winning teams? The Pads and the Cards. Bochy's team barely finished over .500, so he can't be considered. An argument can be made that LaRussa should have won, being as his team won the most games in the NL and AL, and overcame some injuries too. LaRussa or Cox wouldn't have been fine choices.

So only strike out pitchers should be awarded the Cy Young? You have very selective reading. Read what I said again. Ken Okay, I did. It reads the same.

So only strike out pitchers should be awarded the Cy Young?

Ronnie Woo Woo? :P

Just wanted to "play" with this lineup 1. Furcal, SS 2. Giles, OF 3. Abreu, OF 4. Lee, 1B 5. Ramirez, 3B 6. Barrett, C 7. Crisp/Murton, OF 8. Cedeno, 2B To me, acquiring Furcal and Giles is reasonable, and adding Abreu to those two would be the best case scenario. That said, there's no way I don't have DLee batting third. edit: I also want a bullpen arm or two.

I'm not a fan of this World Tournament because of the threat of injury to Cubs players, but I also don't like the fact that players can choose where to play. I didn't like seeing NBA players play for any country other than USA in the Olympics. I think NBA and MLB players should be limited to choosing between playing for their home country in the Olympics or playing in the NBA/MLB. Think of it this way: Elite foreign athletes get their training in the USA's NBA/MLB while drawing millions more dollars than they would in their native country. They take American jobs away and use the training the USA provided them against the USA in the Olympics. They're double dipping, and David Stern should stop it by making a rule that if you play for any country other than the US in the Olympics, you're NBA contract is voided and you are banned from the NBA. I wish the same rules would apply for MLB. By making foreign players choose between multi-milions and country pride, I bet they'll choose the American dollar, and the USA wouldn't have schulbs like Ginobli winning the Gold medal.

Whoa. The line for Corey bashing usually forms right behind me, but this is a bit much. The fact that he is going at all should tell you something about his "mindset." He's a professional athlete for goodness sakes. I'm sure he doesn't enjoy being awful at the plate. Let him go work on it, show up early for spring training- again, and let the winter play out. At least there is an effort to improve. Playing a 1/2 season of winter ball doesn't tell me anything positive about his mindset. It says he will do just enough to get his critics and Hendry off his back, but not as much as a player who really wants to reach his potential would. And I'd hope he doesn't enjoy being awful at the plate, but if I were in his shoes when asked by reporters if I'd consider winter ball, I'd enthusiastically respond with a: "YES! I'm having a very poor year and I have disappointed Cubs fans and the team, but I know I can do better. I plan on getting better by playing the game when most MLB players aren't: in winter ball." "But my game isn't the only thing I need to improve on. I'm also going to adjust my attitude, because there were times when I just didn't care about the game. Remember my 'It's just a game' comment? I'm going to work on my intelligence too."

There's a reason five organizations rid themselves of Milton Bradley, and it's not because of his baseball ability. Dumb move. Five organizations? Montreal traded him because they were getting Zach Day, both were good prospects at that point. Cleveland traded him because they had Sizemore coming and he was arbitration eligible, in addition to his off field problems. Bradley's only been with 3 organizations, and this would be the only one to get rid of him for solely behavioral issues. The man has character issues. When you spend 9 months together, those flaws appear. While in Cleveland, Bradley was arrested and spent 3 days in jail for leading police on a high-speed chase after refusing to pull over for speeding: http://www.usatoday.com/sports/baseball/2004-12-15-legal-roundup_x.htm What was his mindset? Pull over, take your speeding ticket which you deserve for going more than twice the posted limit, or hit the gas and flee from the police so you can spend 3 days in jail? He's not bright. if he plays baseball games and produces well, why should any of us fans care? instead of being disappointed in bradley as a person, i'd rather be disappointed in patterson and burnitz as players. i don't care what his personal life is liek. I care because I don't want my team, or any other team, to acquire a man who physically abuses his pregnant wife. I think it's more important that Milton Bradley gets counseling to become a better person instead of a productive baseball player for the Cubs.