katway

He has not agreed to further cooperation. See http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/bal-balco715,1,6776528.story "Conte said he would not be required to assist in the prosecution of anyone else involved in the investigation." Thus, Barry is probably safe since he admitted to receiving packages and using them, but not to knowing what they contained. Prosecution would probably require Conte's help and testimony that he spoke to Barry and Barry understood they were steroids. If the Plea is approved, he will not be required to testify.... I don't think Barry is safe. Your link surprised me because SportsCenter said he would cooperate. At the same time, Conte has lied so much during the course of this thing, I don't really listen to what he says in the press. Feds don't just give out sweetheart deals and help people serve their sentences on home detention. Conte's attorneys have spoken about the deal... See http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/chi-0507150245jul15,1,6326810.story The deal does not require Conte to cooperate with federal agents in their investigation, his attorneys said.... The reason I think Bonds is safe is that 1) the Feds were really after Balco for fraud. Steroids was an aside that popped up during the investigation. Even though they are illegal, Balco is not the first to ever distribute them and get a light sentence for it... and 2) Conte's testimony would be essential for going after Bonds, without it, the case is pretty much dead. If the Feds wanted to pursue the steroids are illegal angle with Bonds without Conte's cooperation, they would have indicted Bonds months ago.

He has not agreed to further cooperation. See http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/bal-balco715,1,6776528.story "Conte said he would not be required to assist in the prosecution of anyone else involved in the investigation." Thus, Barry is probably safe since he admitted to receiving packages and using them, but not to knowing what they contained. Prosecution would probably require Conte's help and testimony that he spoke to Barry and Barry understood they were steroids. If the Plea is approved, he will not be required to testify....

He has a clause in his contract that makes him a free agent after this season. Yanks will do their best to keep him. He is a solid player that brings in many times the $ that it cost them to sign him since they sealed a Japanese cable contract after signing Matsui.

I almost forgot about his little hissy fit. But, I dont know who else i really would want on that team. Outside of cano. (and arod, but i'm talking realistically) Id take Giambi(with them eating lots of payroll of course) in a heartbeat, but we have nowhere to play him. He was horrible in the OF. Giambi is among the worst fielder's in general. Even the Yanks much rather have him DH. He has no place in the National League.

I agree that both have had great careers. Grace was the better fielder. Raffy had more power in the long run. At the time, no one would have identified Raffy as a power hitter; so, given the choice, I think the Cubs made the best educated guess to stick with Grace. It would have been nice to keep them both. They tried Raffy in the outfield, but it became clear he could only play first and would be a defensive liability.

Sometimes I think of how Houston left him available in the expansion draft and I laugh. Imagine if Houston had him in the lineup all these years...

They're not happy with Contreras and El Duque. The consensus seems to be that the Sox feel they have enough offense to win. That's funny, it seems to me, they NEED a bat (ahem at 3rd, and maybe even SS) moreso then they need another arm. Besides I don't believe the current White Sox has what "IT" takes to go deep in the playoffs. For some reason, they don't have "IT". The Red Sox had Curt Schilling. The Marlins had Miguel Cabrera. The Angels had David Eckstein (believe it or not). So again who is the "IT" factor for the White Sox, cause I don't see it. Scott Podsednik is the "IT" factor for their offense. The guy has been electric on the base paths. He's every bit the "IT" factor of a David Eckstein.

Huge relief... glad the Cubs didn't end up with him. Not sure how well this will work out for the Nats since RFK Stadium has yielded fewer home runs this season than any other park. Rumor has it the Nats may try to package Ryan Church (who they think has played above his ability) and Tony Armas Jr. to get a solid starter.

Wilkerson would be a perfect player for this team the way that Paul O'Neil was perfect for the Championship Yankees' teams. But, Bowden is looking for power hitters. He's even trying to trade for Wilson, which is an indication of how desperate they are for a power hitter. Taking away a decent power guy like Wilkerson would not be in line with his goals this year.

I'm not a booer at games, but I wish people would come to my work and clap when I do a good job. :D

I hope he's also working on pitch selection. A short swing at eye-level fastballs and low and outside sinkers isn't going to make him better. His shorter swing may allow him to hit those pitches, but he won't hit them w/ much authority. I also got the feeling he wasn't working on pitch selection at this point. Hopefully, they will address that once his swing is corrected.

I wasn't implying that every interleague game is a must win. I was simply refering to some decent consistent playofff caliber teams, they just happened to be interleague. Also, as I recall, he couldn't hold a 6-2 lead last October and the Cubs were eliminated from the wildcard. In 2003, he didn't last 6 in his first game against Atlanta and couldn't hold a 4 run lead in the first game against the Marlins as he proceeded to serve up three homeruns to four hitters. I think of those as big games where he came up a little short. I'm not saying that he is not a good pitcher, clearly he is an excellent pitcher... My biggest concern has always been whether or not he is a gamer in pressure situations. In what I have perceived as big games, he simply hasn't performed like an ace.

:scratch: :-k :chin: *ahem* KARRY WUUD IS a BaD PIchER BeCuz He IzBAD inCluTCH Sittuattins!. ZaMbRano 2!!!!!111 Seriously...What "big games" has he been in? He was in like three playoff games. Whoopdy doo. yeah, but in those 3 playoffs games he wasn't very good. :roll: Nevermind the fact that he was only 22 at the time and in his first full year as a Major League starter... Dont forget how bad Kerry sucks. (minus the NLDS) I thought the thread was about Zambrano, not K. Wood. In any event, Zambrano looked bad in the playoff games, lost his cool against St. Louis last year, pitched poorly against the Red Sox this year (luck that he didn't give up more in that game), lost a game we needed to win in New York this year. It just seems to me when we have a game we need to win against a good team, Z just doesn't have it. There are some players always seem to want the ball when the pressure is on, Z just doesn't seem like one of them. Can he improve? Sure. Is he untouchable? No, so long as we get great value for him.

I wouldn't make the deal for a 31 year old Bobby Abreu, but would definitely trade Z for a 24 year old Abreu or a Miguel Cabrera :D . Since Z doesn't seem to rise to the challenge in the big games, the Cubs should consider trading him at the end of the season if they can get an all-star quality young position player in return.

My guess is that by the time he hangs up the cleats he will have 600+ homers and still be the only player with 4 strait years of 50+ homers, etc. Those numbers alone will make him a first ballot Hall of Famer unless there is significant proof of steriods, etc. He may not be the most beloved player among his peers or the media, but his accomplishments cannot be ignored unless dismissed as steroid enhanced, etc.

I agree that Baker and Clines didn't do a good job getting the hitters to focus on a solid approach to team hitting. With respect to Patterson, he has failed miserably to make adjustments. Dusty put CPatt in leadof b/c it's what CPatt wanted. I think Baker was hoping that CPatt's request meant he was going to change his approach. Obviously, it didn't and Baker stuck with him too long. I don't blame Baker for CPatt's failures, CPatt's own stubborness to adjustment clearly is capping his potential as a player. With respect to Dubois, looking at his numbers in the minors, I would say he is doing exactly what is to be expected. He can hit for power, but always struck out a lot and will only continue to strike out against major league pitching. I really don't think he's the answer to our problems in the outfield, but Murton could very well address this need.

We seem to be really underestimating Washington. They are a decent ball club that relies on consistent good starting pitching and an excellent bullpen. I really wouldn't count them out so easily. It would take a huge slide for them to become a .500 team. In any event, for the Cubs to take the wildcard, they will have to take control of the games they are supposed to win and split the tough games. They have to stop losing to pitchers with 5+ ERAs. I think they have an OFer in Murton. Even though he is a call up from the minors, the kid has proven throughout his career to be a smart player that makes adjustments and is nearly always the first player everyone ask for in trade proposals for an OFer. The B-Sox fans still mourn the loss of Murton in the Nomar deal. So, I think he is the answer to left field if Dusty gives him a shot. Clearly, if Nomar returns to form in August, it will be a major boost for the offense. The Cubs can take the wild card, but it wont be easy with so many games against the Cards and hoping that good teams like Atlanta and Washington some how fade.

It's funny when I think back to how he was suppose to be the answer to 3B for the next 10 years.... He could always hit minor legue pitching, but always had problems hitting major league pitching for extended periods. Pitchers/teams always realized he had too big of a swing, could be jammed inside, and would chase the ball outside... kind of like Corey Patterson.

The Cubs deal with Maddux is $9M if he reaches 400 innings over 2 years. That's it...that's the deal. There is no stipulation on ERA, wins, etc. If the Cubs wanted such a contingency, then they should have made it part of the deal. To try to backdoor such a contingency by sitting the guy so his option doesn't vest would be classless and not in line with the deal they already made. What if D. Lee decided to sit out the second half unless he gets another $10M. The Cubs wouldn't be alright with that... You can't start changing the deal midway through the contract by sabotaging things. A deal is a deal. The deal was for innings pitched...nothing else

Rich Hill reminds me of Bert Blyleven with that great curve, a solid (though not spectacular fastball), and other decent pitches. A little more movement on his fastball would help, but the mastery of one breaking pitch can take you a long way. At this point, I wouldn't trade him for Kearns.

And what if they just want to keep him in the minors? Does he need to clear August waivers on Aug. 1? No.

The Braves let Maddux go by not offering arbitration. At that point they couldn't sign him until May. Essentially, it was the Braves that cut ties with Maddux. Or, at the very least, it was mutual since he wanted to play for someone with a chance to win and they wanted to get younger. In any event, it would be classless for the Cubs to sabatoge a deal when they knew exactly what they were getting. If they wanted the deal contingent on ERA, etc. then they should have made that deal. Instead they signed a deal based on innings... Oh well.

I'm one who believes he Sosa trade was addition by subtraction. The Cubs could have gotten a box of Cracker Jack still benefited the team with the deal.

Speaking of "Sucky major league outfielder that got sent down to AAA", how about Patterson for Kearns and then both teams can keep their fingers crossed. Class of 1998 bust for Class of 1998 bust. Sounds good to me.

Sometimes I wonder if Corey was rushed, but most of the time I wonder whether he ever would have been ready given his stubborn approach to hitting. It will be interesting to see if he can even hit AAA pitching. Given that today's AAA ball is essentially a practice squad and most up and coming talent is at AA ball, I don't think missing AAA was of any consequence. You can only learn to hit major league ptiching in the major leagues, you don't learn how to hit major league pitching at AA or AAA.