Tracer Bullet

He knows they're both in the minors. What more do you expect from him? He's too busy to keep tabs on everyone in the minors...

I don't see any group on this board that would have an "I told you so, jerkfaces" explosion of Sean had a bad game. I don't see how this thread would go bad if that happened Agreed. There isn't anyone here that wants to see him do poorly. No one may want to see him do poorly, but it sure seems like guys love to pull up a post from weeks, months, or years earlier to say "see I told you so." Sometimes people start entire threads for this purpose. Yeah, that's getting a little old. True. But it works both ways. The "Wood sucks" (or whatever it's called) thread is about 6 pages long b/c every time he gets a save, a bunch of people call out Bud House. Like we all didn't know it was an overreaction when it was first created.

I don't see any group on this board that would have an "I told you so, jerkfaces" explosion of Sean had a bad game. I don't see how this thread would go bad if that happened Agreed. There isn't anyone here that wants to see him do poorly. No one may want to see him do poorly, but it sure seems like guys love to pull up a post from weeks, months, or years earlier to say "see I told you so." Sometimes people start entire threads for this purpose.

I can't imagine managers of the major league teams spend any time consulting with minor league medical staffs. He is likely making those assumptions based on what he has heard from his normal source on the health of minor leaguers -- perhaps Hendry or someone close to Hendry. I think it was terrible decision to send Hill to the minors, but following that decision, I'm sure Piniella is waiting to hear that Hill has regained his control and is ready or close to being ready to help the Cubs. We're not talking about some regular minor leaguer. We're talking about one of your team's best pitchers. I'd expect my major league manager to know the status of Hill a day or two after he was removed from a game for a back injury. Of course, back injuries aren't that big of a problem for pitchers - they never use their back anyway, right? And it's not like they can be a chronic problem. He might as well have stubbed his toe in the clubhouse. So you're right - no biggie.

in a chat - 2 weeks ago maybe

So Lou has to make assumptions about the health status of his 2nd best pitcher? He can't be bothered to talk to the medical staff in Iowa about just how bad the medical issue is? Ugh.

Bob should type in green when he's not being sarcastic.

Strikes me as a relatively low percentage for a closer, actually. I disagree, since some of those games the Cubs were already losing when he came in. If that were the percentage in actual save situations that would be different. I think he's just saying that in general, it would seem to be a low winning percentage for games in which a given team's closer appears, given that they're coming in with a 9th inning lead the vast majority of the time. The stat struck me the same way. But closers appear in non-closing situations relatively frequently, whether it be tied games, or blowouts. I'm not sure if that's a low percentage or not. Just looking at the list of guys with most saves, Rodriguez has only appeared in one Angels loss. Sherrill has been in 1, Nathan has been in 3. Lyon has been in 1. It looks like most closers have only appeared in 1-3 of their team's losses. The interesting thing with Wood is he's only been bad in 2 of those 5 losses. In 3 of them he did not give up a run or factor in the decision. They were just "getting some work in" situations or extra innings losses somebody else took the fall for. On a sidenote, no other MLB closer has appeared in more games than Wood, making you wonder if it's really necessary for Lou to be finding non-save situations for Wood to work in. David's interpretation was right. I wasn't commenting on Wood's performance, it just seemed like a low percentage (esp given the team's overall winning %). And my other thought was the same as jersey's last comment - that seems like a lot of non-save situations, though I didn't even look into how it compared to other closers. For a guy with a history of arm trouble, I'd err on the side of fewer non-save outings.

Apparently misplaced his power. Yeah. Good thing we finally got ourselves that power hitting RF we've been missing the last few years. Some people are never happy... I'm perfectly happy with our RF. I just like that we're winning and everyone loves Fukudome and he's hit for less power than Murton, who apparently didn't have enough power when he was in the majors. I had no problem with Murton before. I don't have a problem with him now...just pointing out that nearly all of his XBH power suddenly up and vanished. 4 doubles and a triple in the last week. Maybe it's making a comeback. Yeah, the complete lack of XBHs to start the season is puzzling. He was never Barry Bonds, but a .450 SLG in the majors to 0 XBHs in over a month in minors is odd.

Apparently misplaced his power. Yeah. Good thing we finally got ourselves that power hitting RF we've been missing the last few years. Some people are never happy... I'm perfectly happy with our RF. I just like that we're winning and everyone loves Fukudome and he's hit for less power than Murton, who apparently didn't have enough power when he was in the majors.

Apparently misplaced his power. Yeah. Good thing we finally got ourselves that power hitting RF we've been missing the last few years. Look, nowhere did I say Fukudome is a better power player, but if you're stacking up Murton this season and Fukudome this season, I'm glad they have Fuku. I've always liked Murton as a player, but his almost complete absence of power both in his limited MLB time and in the minors this season is rather disconcerting. I didn't say you suggested Fukudome had more power. But many people (and now, you) complained in the past about Murton's lack of power. But we seem to be doing just fine without a power-hitting RF. As to Murton's lack of power - yes, I'm concerned about it at the minor-league level (though he's had several XBHs recently). But if you're concerned about Murton's lack of power in the majors, you must be pretty worried about Fukudome too. Career MLB - Murton's SLG is .451. In Fukudome's very short MLB career - .449.

Apparently misplaced his power. Yeah. Good thing we finally got ourselves that power hitting RF we've been missing the last few years.

He was cut 2 weeks ago. How fat can a MLB player get in two weeks?

Strikes me as a relatively low percentage for a closer, actually. [note: I fully support Wood as closer and have been happy with his performance; just making an observation]

I seem to remember him hitting an opposite field HR about 15 seconds after Tim made a post about him pulling everything. if you look at his wrigley hit chart, he hasn't hit anything anything to the right of the right-center field gap. i guess maybe that's a concern in that teams could start shading him to really pull the ball to left, but he's shown a good ability to drive pitches that are even on the outside corner. http://chicago.cubs.mlb.com/stats/individual_player_hitting_chart.jsp?playerID=434567&statType=1 wow. He really only has one fly ball that's even in the R-CF gap. His other ball hit that direction was a double, just right of dead center. You just don't see the extreme shift for righties like you do for Giambi, etc. I think a team should put all 3 OFs in LF and CF just to see if Soto could poke one into right.

The Yanks are different then the Cardinals. I can't think of anyone on the Yanks that I really dislike. I can't watch Mussina pitch, but other then that...... Also, there's a big difference between what kind of a player Jim Edmonds is right now and what ARod is right now. If Pujols could play CF and he was a FA I'd want the Cubs to sign him. Jim Edmonds............ not so much. Right, which is the point I was trying to make. Like I said, I would've used the Pujols example, but I'm not going to get into a debate that's been beaten to death time after time after time on here. A-Rod and Pujols are bad comparisons as they are players with several good years ahead of them. As a Yankee fan I detested the signing of Damon. But the Edmonds signing would be more comparable to the Yankees signing Jason Varitek. That would absolutely drive me insane! I can easily understand the hatred carrying over even when players go to another team! I can think of MANY Red Sox and Met players I would have hated to have on the Yankees! That's a better comparison - Damon. If you hate the Yankees (I do, but not the players, the owner and some fans), would you be more pissed than usual if the Cubs acquired Damon? I'd be pissed if they signed Damon b/c he sucks, but I don't hate Damon. Also, and this is really my point, there aren't a ton of players I hate. Very few actually. JH just picked the one that I probably hate the most. Personally, I don't hate Edmonds b/c he was a Cardinal, but that doesn't make me like him more either. I'm simply saying that I can understand a fan of one team not wanting their team to sign a player from a rival team. Again, personally, if the player was good/great and I didn't dislike him, I wouldn't care (if he was great and I hated him, that'd be a tougher question). But to be an old bad player that I hate that played his best years with the Cardinals while they were winning divisions (and a WS) - yes, I don't want him on my team. If this debate were because the Cubs signed Pujols or even an ok player from the Cardinals, I could understand a bit more. But to have all of these people attack posters for venting frustration over the signing of Edmonds...seems like you're just trying to pick a fight to me.

Back to back 'I know you are but what I am' one liners from you pretty much concedes the argument. Wish I could even say well played, but it wasn't. I'm still waiting for your response to my post...

You don't say...... :-k Did you just quote yourself to pat yourself on the back? I was joking, and did you see the abuse I got on the Hoffpaiur thing? OMG. Yeah, I did not see that coming. People here have been so warm and welcoming to posters that claim to have insight but have no source that they can divulge...

they are meatball posts. The word is meathead, not "meatball." And I agree with you guys that some of these posts are absolutely ridiculous. Hate Edmonds for being a 38 year old, washed up outfielder that is a bad player. Don't hate Edmonds just because he was on a rival team. I really don't care if he spent most of his career on the Cardinals. The reason I don't like the guy is because he can't hit major league pitching and the fact that he's a bad fielder as well. Oh, that's better. You tell people that they can't hate a player because he played on a team that is the rival of their favorite sports team. But you support hating him b/c he's bad at baseball. Fantastic. Nothing like calling others ridiculous and following it up with air tight logic such as this.

I wish I had lots of time on my hands, b/c I do some searching for posts by you and abuck saying you "hate" certain things that, if taken literally, people would find irrational, "bizarre" or even "stupid." I'm more surprised by the bizarre response to people saying they hate Jim Edmunds.

Man, your posts are real jerky today. Define hate for me and I'll tell you if it applies to Edmonds. I don't like him and that doesn't change because he's now a Cub. There have been several Cubs over the years that I didn't like - just b/c I want the team to win doesn't mean I like each player. Do you like Jim Hendry? Edmonds falls below wife beaters and child molesters on my list of hate. But he's on the list. I just don't get why this is such a big deal to you. You think I'm stupid and need to get a life because I don't like Jim Edmonds? Right back at you, can we move on now? sure. if you want to live your life shaking your fist at clouds like grandpa simpson, it's certainly your right. and you can follow behind me, hugging everyone I hate and scoffing at my distaste for certain members of society

In high school the fastest pitcher I ever faced threw 75-80 and I could hit weak grounders (I beat 1 out for an infield single...I'm gritty). So I said foul one off b/c I thought they were just throwing fastballs. In a softball league for work, one of the guys on our team was a former ML pitcher (LHP, mostly relief for the Marlins for several years). I've played catch with him a couple times and every once in a while he'd throw a curve/slider playing catch and I wouldn't even get my glove on it from probably 50' (this was after an arm injury ended his career, he was probably 29 at the time). I've seen him do this to other guys too and it's hilarious - he once threw a guy a knuckle ball and damn near hit the guy in the face. Ergo, if an average ML pitcher was throwing all his stuff from the mound, I'd look absolutely foolish on 3 pitches, unless I kept the bat on my shoulder and coaxed a walk (I'm 5'7" - not a bad strategy).

Man, your posts are real jerky today. Define hate for me and I'll tell you if it applies to Edmonds. I don't like him and that doesn't change because he's now a Cub. There have been several Cubs over the years that I didn't like - just b/c I want the team to win doesn't mean I like each player. Do you like Jim Hendry? Edmonds falls below wife beaters and child molesters on my list of hate. But he's on the list. I just don't get why this is such a big deal to you. You think I'm stupid and need to get a life because I don't like Jim Edmonds? Right back at you, can we move on now?

ugh. Pie either needs to be starting in Chicago or starting in Iowa. Having him used as a PH every 2-3 days for 1 AB at a time doesn't make a whole lot of sense to me.

Seriously. When people start defending them by citing good intentions and accusing you of overlooking said intentions, it makes me want to throw up it's b/c you're arrogant.