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I've never been as big on Dempster as most here, but it does deserve mentioning that he hadn't pitched in exactly one week according to Fred's stats.

How do you know that? Injuries suffered from taking a pitcher too deep often don't show up until a significant amount of time has passed - months or even years. Prior and Wood made it through 03 just fine...

He has one assist this year, but I can't remember it. To be fair to Jacque, no one runs on him because of his reputation as having a cannon for an arm, so he doesn't get many chances to throw people out. :lol:

Yep. I'm glad Z isn't in line for the loss right now. I fully expect us to lose the game when Dusty double switches Mabry and Novoa for Lee and Z.

Good stuff! Yep, there's some funny stuff in there.

NEIFI SAVED US!

They're generally pretty whiny. They have no idea how the big bad Zambrano was able to hit one out of the park. Hell, the fact that he even showed an iota of emotion is horrible! And did they just say that Neifi has been a valuable addition to the Cubs? For the Brewers, maybe! Former players, columnists, and play-by-play men usually have these things in common: 1. They are poor judges of talent. 2. They mistake micromanaging for good strategy. 3. They think no one can tell them anything about the first two items.

Beltran's salary in 2005 was $11.6 million. Todd Hollandsworth was signed as a free agent for $900,000. Neifi was signed as a free agent for $1 million. Blanco was signed as a free agent for $1.2 million. Rusch was given a contract for $2 million. Burnitz made $4.5 million. Add Hairston's $1.8 million, and that all adds up to $11.4 million. And that doesn't take Nomar's $8 million into account. As Goony says over and over again, the Cubs could afford first tier free agents, but they unwisely overpay for role players and mediocre talent.

Stone's mere suggestion that such a trade would be a good one is reason enough to never, ever consider him for a GM position.

Well he does have a career .353 OBP vs. Milwaukee. That's probably the kind of meaningless stat that Dusty looks at when filling out a lineup card. Nevermind that the guy pitching is someone Neifi has never faced. When Neifi sees that Brewer uniform on the mound, he suddenly becomes Barry Bonds. :roll: When statisticians argue over the worst hitter in the modern era, Neifi is part of the conversation.

True, one reason Beltran is having a good year is that the Mets now have Delgado to back him up. Beltran, Reyes, and Wright have been the best players at their positions in the NL this year. Possibly in all of baseball. Add Delgado and Loduca who have been top 3-4 at 1B and C respectively, and there you go. Beltran and Reyes have definitely been the best in the NL. Wright should probably get the nod over Cabrera because his defense is better. Loduca, though, hasn't had a season to write home about. There are a dozen catchers in the NL alone that are having better years offensively, and he's been below average defensively. As for Delgado, he might not even be in the top half of NL firstbasemen. Pujols, Berkman, Garciaparra, Nick Johnson, Howard, Helton, and Fielder have all been better thus far. And Derrek Lee can reasonably be expected to put up better numbers now that he's back. One could even argue that Delgado hasn't played significantly better than Mike Jacobs, whom the Mets traded to Florida for Delgado. Anyway, these 5 players for the Cubs make $13,575,000 this year: Juan Pierre Neifi Perez John Mabry Henry Blanco Glendon Rusch Each one of those players has performed BELOW replacement level, meaning we could expect the same performance or better had we brought up minor league players instead. Carlos Beltran makes $13,571,000 this year. So he would have cost us a little less than Pierre, Perez, Mabry, Blanco, and Rusch.

No, it's not. And it's not even close. It's just shortsided stupidity. Rooting or not rooting for the Cubs has no bearing on what they will do now or in the future. While I understand your point about how rooting for or against the Cubs doesn't affect their performance one way or the other, I do not understand why you state that rooting for them to lose right now is "shortsided [sic] stupidity." In other words, if: a) rooting for or against doesn't make a difference and b) rooting for the team to lose is shortsighted and stupid then c) rooting for the team to win would also be shortsighted and stupid I don't think Soul was arguing that his rooting against the team has tangible short-term benefits. I believe he was simply stating that the continued losing will have tangible long-term benefits.

I went to 40 games last year. This year, I had bleacher tickets for opening day, every game of the White Sox series, and every game against the Cardinals in July and August. When it became clear that Hendry was going to start this season with such a pathetic roster, I began selling all my tickets, and I haven't gone to a single game. I root for the Cubs to lose, no matter who the opponent is. I will root for the White Sox this weekend, and I will root for the Cardinals in July and August. I cheer for most Cubs players (hint: not Neifi or Glendon), but I can't see myself supporting the team itself until some major changes take place - and I don't mean just firing Dusty. This team is so poorly constructed that, even if the team is improved in the offseason, the only way the Cubs can hope to contend in 2007 is to rely on the other NL Central teams getting worse.

Another question: Why does everyone keep insisting that Miller will be part of the 2007 rotation when he's only signed for this season?

Santo can't believe it. HAMMERIN HANK!

Which is one reason I'm against any "old school" baseball guy. Good guitar players don't necessarily know how to write hit songs, and good baseball players don't necessarily know the best way to win games. Bowa played shortstop and I didn't, and that has little to do with knowing how to manage a baseball team.

My knee-jerk reaction is an emphatic no. I don't really care if the manager yells or lot like Bowa or makes excuses for his players like Baker. I care more about whether Bowa believes in first inning sac bunts, keeping 12 pitchers on the roster, and starting Freddie Bynum, Neifi Perez, John Mabry, and Tony Womack. Unlike Baker, Bowa didn't play in the 60's, but he did begin major league play in 1970, so I'd bet he wants to play the game like his managers played the game. Those who are more familiar with Bowa's X's and O's should chime in.

He used to be a catcher, so presumably he can hit better than the average pitcher.

The Angels just want to give Jeff a few starts, hoping that he'll have a good outing or two and someone will trade for him.

Does that homer count as meaningful? Where are the Reds fans when we need them?

I predicted that on page 7 of the thread.

OPS back below 690? You have to do what you can to get that man more plate appearances. But he's so FAST and OPS doesn't take speed into account. Every time he does get on base, the Cubs score automatically because of the havoc he causes on the basepaths and the pressure he puts on the defense. I'd say a 690 OPS for Fast Freddie translates to at least a 900 when his baserunning is taken into consideration. And wears out the opposing pitcher's arm with all of those throws to first base, meaning the starter has to come out earlier and the Cubs get to face relievers who aren't as good as starters or they wouldn't be relievers. Except for closers, who are better than some starters.

But if Len says the Cubs suck, Kent Mercker will call the booth and Moises Alou will get in his face and Hendry will have to fire everybody.

Well he hasn't been hurt lately. We pamper pitchers too mucht these days anyway. Did Nolan Ryan worry about pitch counts? I say pitch Guzman 120 pitches every 4 days if his stuff is good.

I'm guessing that the Trib Company does direct deposit.