Tracer Bullet

1 batter too late.

Gotta keep being aggressive and maybe we'll catch some breaks.

You're not serious, are you? Even if you don't know the event that he's talking about (punch in the face ending Rudy's NBA career), you don't remember him as an NBA coach? Won 2 titles with Houston in the mid-90s, I think (while Jordan was playing AA).

So Womack becomes the starting 2B? I'm guessing Dusty bats him 2nd behind Pierre, right? Crap.

Can his appeal be to have it enforced once a week for 7 weeks? That way it fall on his typical day off and it doesn't really hurt the team. Nobody likes AJ anyway.

But what's he going to say? If he comes out and says, "yeah I decked him and I'd do it again tomorrow. AJ's an (expletive)" - he'd have gotten a bigger suspension. You look remorseful in the media and hope for leniency.

Seriously, I heard the suspension was coming down today. Has anyone heard anything? EDIT: Nevermind - just saw the other thread.

Why stop there? Why not ARod at SS too :lol: Of all the realistic scenarios for 2007 I like goony's OF of Lee, Pie and Jones / Murton. I just don't see Hendry moving JJ at all, for the reasons goony states. Trading for Abreu or Miggy would be nice, but so would peace on earth. Cubs are not exactly dealing from a position of strength. They have plenty to give up to make the deal for Miggy. Other teams have higher ranked prospects, but most of them have no interest in trading their higher ranked guys. Gallagher, Guzman, Murton and Pie could probably get you Miggy. Send Pierre back there and pay his salary, move Jones over the center and call-up whoever the heck you want to play the other corner OF spot. That's crazy! Who would leadoff? If we traded Pierre we wouldn't have a legitmate leadoff hitter. We can't trade Juan! [please note the sarcasm]

I'm glad someone pointed this out. Lee hits some homers, but he's not the big impact bat I was thinking of. Next year, Lee's going to be looking for a big pay day and he's going to get it. I just hope it's not from Hendry.

Pierre moves to bat boy?

Agreed. In a deal for Dunn or Cabrera, I'd trade him. Of course, most people would gladly give up Murton for either of those guys. But if we're being realistic - neither of those is going to happen. The Reds aren't going to trade Dunn this year unless they fall way out of the race in the next 2 months. And the Cubs will be outbid for Cabrera.

I totally agree. But when I see people say that we're stuck with Jones for 3 years, I think they're just being realistic. JH targeted Jones in the off-season. He thinks he'll be a good player here. So he's not going to trade him, at least not this year and maybe not next year. So we're "stuck" in the sense that our GM (who just got extended) doesn't seem to want to trade Jones.

Your ideas were similar in that we need power from left, so we should trade Murton. Yours seemed to be more of a "he'll probably be a good hitter for someone else" while Kiley's was more "he's not the power hitter we need - get rid of him" - at least that's the vibe I got. I understand that we need to upgrade the OF. And that's one problem with extending JH. If we had a new GM, they may realize that JJ isn't a great hitter in RF, but he's hit well the last few week. He's a guy we might be able to trade away while he's still hitting well and then go find that power bat to take his place. Murton seems to be the one young guy that has any plate discipline at all. I just hate to give that away (esp since his trade value is almost 0 right now, what with the .264 BA and .368 SLG). I'd like to give him more than 100 ML games over two seasons to prove that he has no power.

As much as I'd love to see them deal Pierre for anyone of value, I just can't get past his idea of keeping Jones and dealing Murton: link EDIT: I noticed in Bruce's article today, that he also suggests dealing Murton. I think Murton could be a very good hitter in the near future (with, you know, some coaching) and he has very little trade value now. So why deal him?

I have no problem w/ KG Jr's remarks. If he gets called out in the media and doesn't like what's said, why can't he respond?

I don't think Gammons is buying it. He's the only national voice with that opinion, though. Gammons for GM! :P I kid. He picked Nomar to win the 2005 NL MVP. Let's not go too far. :wink: Believe he picked Crosby to win the '06 AL MVP. He's really going to have to raise that .658 OPS to contend with the usual suspects.

Do we include the fact that as soon as the Marlins players get expensive, they'll be traded away? I like a lot of the Marlins talent, but they won't be there when they hit their prime.

Gets better. A few minutes later, he absolves Hendry of liability too. Not sure where the buck stops for Tim. Leaving aside his claim that Wood and Prior are fragile (a separate point) - assuming that's true, and that the Cubs put a "great deal of emphasis" on them carrying the team - why isn't Hendry at fault? I did not realize Kurkjian was a moron.

Phew - it's not Dusty's fault after all. It's the injuries. If Lee, Prior and Wood were here, we wouldn't be last in nearly every offensive catergory. I was starting to get worried that there was really a problem with this team, guess it's just injuries. From today's chat on ESPN: This only bothers me because if "respected" baseball people, like Kurkjian, are giving Dusty a pass, it makes it easier for Hendry to not only not fire him, but give him an extension. Ugh.

I want Ryan Church.

What about the great fire sale of 1997? Alou, Kevin Brown, Renteria, etc etc.

that's what it says on their world series trophies probably - you kids are a disgrace. this is a discussion about 2006. I wouldn't call the Marlins awful. And they are a whole lot more fun to watch than the Cubs right now. Those kids are playing for their major league careers and they are all getting quality major league experience that will be quite beneficial when Florida adds role players to turn the team into another potential World Series champion in a small handful of years. You wouldn't want Hanley Ramirez, Jeremy Hermida, Josh Willingham, Dan Uggla on your team? While the Cubs continue spinning their wheels in mediocrity, Florida will rebuild and crush the Cubs in a few years. Heck, they're crushing the Cubs now. Its really the only way (and the best way) for the team to eventually field a championship contender. They trade away all their quality veterans they no longer can pay for, stock up on young talent, groom 'em, and when its all set and ready, stock up on some free agent role players and make a run. Its allowed them to steal away 2 World Series trophies in little over a decade of existence. Considering how small market the team is, its pretty darn impressive. It certainly is more impressive than the wheel of mediocrity that is turned every year here in Chicago. Every year we trade away promising talent from our farm system, stock up on mediocre free agents over the hill and past a prime that wasn't...and well, you know the rest. The Cubs were a Bartman interference away from taking it in 2003. Huzienga spent like a fiend in 1997. Iirc they spent like crazy on free agents. The Trib would never allow that. Come on - Bartman? I'm pretty sure they were one AGon muffed double-play ball away from getting to the WS - beating the Yankees when they got there was not a sure thing.

If KW finishes the season with those numbers....he would be considered the TOP FA pitcher available, and I almost positive that he could get a long-term deal. And no, the Cubs should cut bait---either way---on Wood this offseason. It is apparent the young man needs a change of delivery. Fixed.

Who - Ozzie? What strategy are we talking about?

I was shocked to hear Steve Phillips talk about impatient hitters swinging at pitcher's pitches and stuff out of the zone. It was about the most intelligent 3 minutes he's had as an analyst. I don't know what's gotten into SP, but I've seen a couple of his chats on ESPN lately and in each of them he's made a comment about the importance of taking pitches and getting walks. Quote from yesterday's chat to a question re the Angels: