Blueheart05

No The one word response is always good.

Incorrect. He has been good for 2 wins above what would be expected of a replacement player, and WARP takes defense into account. This team is horrible, and has been for the last 2 years, therefore, this argument is invalid. Walker is not a quality all around second basemen and his position on the field requires more defense than he's capable of providing. In 2003, he batted .283 for Boston in the regular season and .349 in the playoffs (.313 in the ALDS and .370 in the ALCS) yet they let him leave in favor of Pokey Reese because Walker ended that year as the worst 2B in the ML at turning the DP. While Reese wasn't the best available player he was more versatile (played both SS and 2B) and more defensively sound than Walker. This proves that even an offense-oriented team, like Boston, realized that they were better off having a more defensive player at 2B than someone like Todd Walker. They didn't need a guy like Walker and if the Cubs are going to improve they need to find someone at 2B who will field accurately and consistently (you can hide someone who's defensively challenged at 1B or LF but not 2B). As I mentioned earlier, he's actually more of a liability now that the team has cut the infield grass. See, I think that because Boston is an offense oriented team, they were ABLE to sacrifice offense at 2nd for defense because they had other pieces in place to make up for the offensive deficiency there. The Cubs are so bad on offense right now that they can't afford to make that kind of a sacrifice. The need is determined by what surrounds the player (i.e. the argument that Murton is a perfectly acceptable guy for LF as long as there is a bopper in RF and/or CF). The Cubs aren't going anywhere so as long as they are in a position to rebuild parts of their team (offensively and defensively), it would behoove them to make infield defense (specifically up the middle) more of a priority.

Incorrect. He has been good for 2 wins above what would be expected of a replacement player, and WARP takes defense into account. This team is horrible, and has been for the last 2 years, therefore, this argument is invalid. Walker is not a quality all around second basemen and his position on the field requires more defense than he's capable of providing. In 2003, he batted .283 for Boston in the regular season and .349 in the playoffs (.313 in the ALDS and .370 in the ALCS) yet they let him leave in favor of Pokey Reese because Walker ended that year as the worst 2B in the ML at turning the DP. While Reese wasn't the best available player he was more versatile (played both SS and 2B) and more defensively sound than Walker. This proves that even an offense-oriented team, like Boston, realized that they were better off having a more defensive player at 2B than someone like Todd Walker. They didn't need a guy like Walker and if the Cubs are going to improve they need to find someone at 2B who will field accurately and consistently (you can hide someone who's defensively challenged at 1B or LF but not 2B). As I mentioned earlier, he's actually more of a liability now that the team has cut the infield grass. And furthermore, if cutting the grass exposes your second baseman, then was that really a smart move? That's not a question for me to answer. I think it's obvious that they did it with Pierre in mind (whether it has directly aided him is up for debate but it has made the infield faster).

He also went on to clarify that he meant Baker has no rules against facial hair, children in the dugout (I saw Nevin's kid in the dugout a few days ago), and things of that sort...

Incorrect. He has been good for 2 wins above what would be expected of a replacement player, and WARP takes defense into account. This team is horrible, and has been for the last 2 years, therefore, this argument is invalid. Walker is not a quality all around second basemen and his position on the field requires more defense than he's capable of providing. In 2003, he batted .283 for Boston in the regular season and .349 in the playoffs (.313 in the ALDS and .370 in the ALCS) yet they let him leave in favor of Pokey Reese because Walker ended that year as the worst 2B in the ML at turning the DP. While Reese wasn't the best available player he was more versatile (played both SS and 2B) and more defensively sound than Walker. This proves that even an offense-oriented team, like Boston, realized that they were better off having a more defensive player at 2B than someone like Todd Walker. They didn't need a guy like Walker and if the Cubs are going to improve they need to find someone at 2B who will field accurately and consistently (you can hide someone who's defensively challenged at 1B or LF but not 2B). As I mentioned earlier, he's actually more of a liability now that the team has cut the infield grass.

Walker raped Novoa. :cry: and Marshall. LOL No, just Novoa. His first error only cost one run. Novoa gave up 6 runs but none were earned. However, Marshall gave up 7 runs but only 5 were earned according to Gameday and the argument could be made that if the first ball, Walker booted, was fielded cleanly to begin with, the inning wouldn't have gotten out of hand... Would the next two batters bloops magically get caught? Oh of course, the wind would have magically shifted for Floyd's pop-fly HR, and 0 runs would have been given up. The bottom line is you said Walker's first error only cost one run when it actually cost the team two runs and kept the inning going for his magical second error and resultant 6 unearned runs. Beltran would have been out = 2 outs. The next two would have gotten on, and Floyd would have nailed a 3 run HR instead of a grandslam. That's why I said 1 run on that first bobble. Regardless, this team sucks from top to bottom. Todd Walker is not the reason this team is 21 games under 500. I think of players I'd rather not be playing their position more than TWalk. He had a horrible game today granted, but overall I'm fine with him at 2B. My position on Walker hasn't changed all year. 2B is too crucial of a position to have a guy with defensive shortcommings. He does not have enough of an impact bat to outweigh what he lacks on defense. He's actually much more of a liability now that they have cut the grass in the infield.

Walker raped Novoa. :cry: and Marshall. LOL No, just Novoa. His first error only cost one run. Novoa gave up 6 runs but none were earned. However, Marshall gave up 7 runs but only 5 were earned according to Gameday and the argument could be made that if the first ball, Walker booted, was fielded cleanly to begin with, the inning wouldn't have gotten out of hand... Would the next two batters bloops magically get caught? Oh of course, the wind would have magically shifted for Floyd's pop-fly HR, and 0 runs would have been given up. The bottom line is you said Walker's first error only cost one run when it actually cost the team two runs and kept the inning going for his magical second error and resultant 6 unearned runs.

One of the few. He might have a shot at the Marines (except they are proud) :lol:

Walker raped Novoa. :cry: and Marshall. LOL No, just Novoa. His first error only cost one run. Novoa gave up 6 runs but none were earned. However, Marshall gave up 7 runs but only 5 were earned according to Gameday and the argument could be made that if the first ball, Walker booted, was fielded cleanly to begin with, the inning wouldn't have gotten out of hand...

Walker raped Novoa. :cry: and Marshall. LOL

:roll: :roll: :roll: :roll: :roll: :roll: :roll: :roll: x infinity. Whatever, I don't see how you can defend him, he's not a good fielder. Today's game not withstanding, the attacks on his defense are VASTLY overdone. VASTLY. That's just ridiculous. He's one of the worst 2B at turning the double play. I'm tired of the argument about his fielding percentage because that doesn't tell the story. He doesn't get to most balls and, again, he usually doesn't position himself well enough to turn the DP which is crucial for his position. His reputation is well earned (and judging by the Cubs inability to move him in the offseason, other teams feel that his offense does not outweigh his defensive miscues). NEVIN! 1) no it's not ridiculous, it's very accurate and if it is, any stats to support your claim? 3) What GM are you the team of? You know unequivocally that he couldn't be moved because of his defense. Because as phantom GM of my ML team, I heard he didn't get moved because he wasn't a team player and talked too much to the media creating rifts and divisions. Yes, Baseball Info Solutions.com rated him as one of the worst 2B in baseball and in 2003, when he played 144 games, he was the worst 2b in the ML at turning the DP. Look it up. You can defend him if you choose. It doesn't take a GM to recognize that his defense is flawed.

:roll: :roll: :roll: :roll: :roll: :roll: :roll: :roll: x infinity. Whatever, I don't see how you can defend him, he's not a good fielder. Today's game not withstanding, the attacks on his defense are VASTLY overdone. VASTLY. That's just ridiculous. He's one of the worst 2B at turning the double play. I'm tired of the argument about his fielding percentage because that doesn't tell the story. He doesn't get to most balls and, again, he usually doesn't position himself well enough to turn the DP which is crucial for his position. His reputation is well earned (and judging by the Cubs inability to move him in the offseason, other teams feel that his offense does not outweigh his defensive miscues). NEVIN! Find me one argument for his fielding that was solely based on his FPCT. Walker used it himself when he talked repeatedly (earlier in the year on talk radio) about how his fielding percentage was just shy of GG status. I also saw it here earlier in the year.

:roll: :roll: :roll: :roll: :roll: :roll: :roll: :roll: x infinity. Whatever, I don't see how you can defend him, he's not a good fielder. Today's game not withstanding, the attacks on his defense are VASTLY overdone. VASTLY. That's just ridiculous. He's one of the worst 2B at turning the double play. I'm tired of the argument about his fielding percentage because that doesn't tell the story. He doesn't get to most balls and, again, he usually doesn't position himself well enough to turn the DP which is crucial for his position. His reputation is well earned (and judging by the Cubs inability to move him in the offseason, other teams feel that his offense does not outweigh his defensive miscues). NEVIN!

:roll: :roll: :roll: :roll: :roll: :roll: :roll: :roll: x infinity. Whatever, I don't see how you can defend him, he's not a good fielder.

Beat me to it... That plane might get shot down attempting to come near Wrigley Field during a game. Is that a challenge? I am sure the guman the cubs hired couldn't hit a moving plane and if they can why aren't they in the lineup? More like NORAD.

He made a put out. :shock:

Beat me to it... That plane might get shot down attempting to come near Wrigley Field during a game.

Oh-Man is determined to walk the park.

I don't think we will see Walker at 2B again IMO. I'm fine with that. I've never liked his defense.

Well, if this doesn't get Theirot (more like Perez) a few starts at 2B I don't know what will...

Novoa should have been out of the inning on a ground ball DP. Will anything be said to Aram about going home instead of 2nd? I doubt it, the errors were the glaring mistakes but he should have gone for the double play.

WOW, what a joke! Now Novoa is stinking it up!

Novoa should have been out of the inning on a ground ball DP.

BAD DEFENSE AND BAD DECISION MAKING. Why didn't the Cubs go for the DP? Walker sucks and I'm PO'd. All this crap on the Sunday Night Game of the Week.

WTF? :evil: :evil: :evil: :evil: :evil: