Blueheart05

If I'm not mistaken, and I am not, Stone was the consumate professional and always diplomatic throughout his analyst career, until 2004. suddenly his sarcasm is biting, his tone sharp, and his opinions expressed in manor that does not merely state his opinion, but takes swipes at one organization in particular. the differencec is obvious. It could be one reason why his knowledge is so well-respected, yet nobody is willing to offer him a shot at GM. He definitely likes to hold a grudge----though I do think he got a raw deal from the Cubs. After all, the only thing he did was compliment Oswalt's performance at Wrigley. Why that set the whole organization off I will never know. 2004........the ultimate nightmare season in so many ways. How did Stone get a "raw deal" from the cubs? He turned down an offer by the organization to extend his contract (even though Carey was leaving). He chose to leave and has been bitter ever since.

LOL, this has made my day! What happened to all the talk about him losing weight? :lol: :lol: :lol: BTW, nice Photoshop job. :wink:

Uh Oh. . Looks harmless to me.

Wood is also rumored to have been the boom box attacker. :lol: I saw that interview and Woody actually said something very subtle about Sosa; something like "no matter what you thought of him or what kind of person he was he always came to play." LOL, that tells me he was a troublemaker. Sosa wouldn't accept a Cubs bench position and, more importantly, the Cubs aren't offering. EDIT: Here is Kerry's exact quote:"The impact he had on the game -- he brought the fans back, him and McGwire," Cubs pitcher Kerry Wood said. "They filled the stadiums. That was fun to be a part of. Like I've always said about Sammy, he always came ready to play. No matter what kind of person he was, or what people wrote about him, or people said about him, he was ready to play for 162 games. I've still yet to see somebody prepare the way he did. He was a superstar." Sosa's work ethic makes Kerry look like a lazy dog. I think Kerry might have suddenly realized that. Sosa became a superstar by taking the field every single day----tired or not, hurt or not. Then there's Kerry: a man who was blessed with amazing talent, sat on his laurels, refused to learn how to pitch, and blew himself up in his mid-20's. Kerry should bow down and kiss Sosa's feet. Sosa's a Hall of Fame candidate and Wood is the biggest pitching bust of a generation. He has no place saying anything *BUT* what he just said. A lot of guys work hard with little production. Sosa's numbers are tainted whether or not he gets into the HOF. Wood was trying to be gracious but no one owes Sammy any extra respect much less a kiss of the feet. I don't see in his (Wood's) quote where he was slamming on Sammy. I see the part where he said "no matter what kind of person he was". Just because Sosa wasn't Kerry's kind of person why does that make Sammy a cancer. I'm sure Rodman wasn't MJ's kind of person but hey it worked out ok. Kerry played with him longer than anyone else on the team but I guess he is the only person to ever have a problem with Sammy... I wonder what Mark Grace and Ryne Sandberg (or Kenny Lofton) would say? Heck, last year Sammy had some clubhouse problems in Baltimore. It's not like I didn't enjoy his production for several years but after learning about some of the behind the scenes issues I don't view him in the same light. Also, comparing Rodman with Sosa isn't fair. Sammy was the superstar which is why he had no problem being overbearing. Rodman only got a spot on the roster with MJ's approval (IIRC, Reinsdorf asked both Jordan and Pippen if they would play with Rodman. They only agreed after talking to him).. But the name of the game is to win. There is no way that all the Yankees (choose them since they are "winners") get along nor should someone expect 25 grown men to get along. I like your analogy of the Rodman/Sosa comparison. Kerry, who has been more of a role player, like Rodman, seemed to have an issue with the superstar of the team. Now that I think about it, that is life Kerry and if you don't like then become the superstar you've been projected to be but yet become. Why is Kerry Wood being blamed for having an opinion about Sosa? It's easy to get on Wood because he has underperformed but I didn't hear many Cubs fans get after Sandberg's HOF speech where he obviously mocked Sosa's shenanigans. In fact, Sandberg was lauded for his words. I also haven't heard too many people blast Mark Grace about his not so flattering Sosa comments over the years. Speaking of analogies, lets compare superstars like Jordan with Sosa. On the surface it seems like an unfair comparison (and even I'll concede that MJ, unlike Sosa, was the best in the game while he played) but the point I want to make is that MJ understood the value of making his teammates better and deflecting the fame. Sosa cared about his individual stats to a fault and would hop and celebrate while the team was being blown out. Meanwhile, Jordan would be angry that the team was losing (in the early years). Furthermore, Sosa was in a position to put pressure on management to build stong teams but he was content being the spotlight on a loser. I distinctly remember Sammy being asked by reporters, at the end of different losing seasons, about his feelings on the year; He always talked about his personal success and never offered much commentary on the team. When he was traded he talked about wanting to reach 700 homers but never once mentioned playing on a World Series team. Sammy was not a winner and never openly aspired to win but he did want to hit homers...

Wood is also rumored to have been the boom box attacker. :lol: I saw that interview and Woody actually said something very subtle about Sosa; something like "no matter what you thought of him or what kind of person he was he always came to play." LOL, that tells me he was a troublemaker. Sosa wouldn't accept a Cubs bench position and, more importantly, the Cubs aren't offering. EDIT: Here is Kerry's exact quote:"The impact he had on the game -- he brought the fans back, him and McGwire," Cubs pitcher Kerry Wood said. "They filled the stadiums. That was fun to be a part of. Like I've always said about Sammy, he always came ready to play. No matter what kind of person he was, or what people wrote about him, or people said about him, he was ready to play for 162 games. I've still yet to see somebody prepare the way he did. He was a superstar." Sosa's work ethic makes Kerry look like a lazy dog. I think Kerry might have suddenly realized that. Sosa became a superstar by taking the field every single day----tired or not, hurt or not. Then there's Kerry: a man who was blessed with amazing talent, sat on his laurels, refused to learn how to pitch, and blew himself up in his mid-20's. Kerry should bow down and kiss Sosa's feet. Sosa's a Hall of Fame candidate and Wood is the biggest pitching bust of a generation. He has no place saying anything *BUT* what he just said. A lot of guys work hard with little production. Sosa's numbers are tainted whether or not he gets into the HOF. Wood was trying to be gracious but no one owes Sammy any extra respect much less a kiss of the feet. I don't see in his (Wood's) quote where he was slamming on Sammy. I see the part where he said "no matter what kind of person he was". Just because Sosa wasn't Kerry's kind of person why does that make Sammy a cancer. I'm sure Rodman wasn't MJ's kind of person but hey it worked out ok. Kerry played with him longer than anyone else on the team but I guess he is the only person to ever have a problem with Sammy... I wonder what Mark Grace and Ryne Sandberg (or Kenny Lofton) would say? Heck, last year Sammy had some clubhouse problems in Baltimore. It's not like I didn't enjoy his production for several years but after learning about some of the behind the scenes issues I don't view him in the same light. Also, comparing Rodman with Sosa isn't fair. Sammy was the superstar which is why he had no problem being overbearing. Rodman only got a spot on the roster with MJ's approval (IIRC, Reinsdorf asked both Jordan and Pippen if they would play with Rodman. They only agreed after talking to him)..

Wood is also rumored to have been the boom box attacker. :lol: I saw that interview and Woody actually said something very subtle about Sosa; something like "no matter what you thought of him or what kind of person he was he always came to play." LOL, that tells me he was a troublemaker. Sosa wouldn't accept a Cubs bench position and, more importantly, the Cubs aren't offering. EDIT: Here is Kerry's exact quote:"The impact he had on the game -- he brought the fans back, him and McGwire," Cubs pitcher Kerry Wood said. "They filled the stadiums. That was fun to be a part of. Like I've always said about Sammy, he always came ready to play. No matter what kind of person he was, or what people wrote about him, or people said about him, he was ready to play for 162 games. I've still yet to see somebody prepare the way he did. He was a superstar." Sosa's work ethic makes Kerry look like a lazy dog. I think Kerry might have suddenly realized that. Sosa became a superstar by taking the field every single day----tired or not, hurt or not. Then there's Kerry: a man who was blessed with amazing talent, sat on his laurels, refused to learn how to pitch, and blew himself up in his mid-20's. Kerry should bow down and kiss Sosa's feet. Sosa's a Hall of Fame candidate and Wood is the biggest pitching bust of a generation. He has no place saying anything *BUT* what he just said. A lot of guys work hard with little production. Sosa's numbers are tainted whether or not he gets into the HOF. Wood was trying to be gracious but no one owes Sammy any extra respect much less a kiss of the feet.

800's IIRC. but HomePlate isn't on the DirecTV basic package. it's an upgrade HomePlate is on Channel 878 (with Total ChoicePlus)

You can listen via the internet at 670thescore.com. Just click on "listen live." The Mike North Show is on from 6am-10am CT but it's not for the faint of heart (or people that don't like mixing politics with sports). :lol:

Wood is also rumored to have been the boom box attacker. :lol: I saw that interview and Woody actually said something very subtle about Sosa; something like "no matter what you thought of him or what kind of person he was he always came to play." LOL, that tells me he was a troublemaker. Sosa wouldn't accept a Cubs bench position and, more importantly, the Cubs aren't offering. EDIT: Here is Kerry's exact quote:"The impact he had on the game -- he brought the fans back, him and McGwire," Cubs pitcher Kerry Wood said. "They filled the stadiums. That was fun to be a part of. Like I've always said about Sammy, he always came ready to play. No matter what kind of person he was, or what people wrote about him, or people said about him, he was ready to play for 162 games. I've still yet to see somebody prepare the way he did. He was a superstar."

Does anyone have pictures of Williams and Miller? They are strangely missing from all the photos.

His career numbers don't say anything about what Sammy can do right now. I'm not even going to talk about performance enhancing drugs (because he hasn't been caught) but it can't be disputed that he was horrible last year (the first full season of steroid testing). .221/.295/.376 with 14 homers and 45 RBI is not worth a guaranteed contract. However, more teams might have been willing to deal with him if he didn't have a reputation as a clubhouse cancer and if he were willing to come on as an NRI. The steroid rumblings also devalue his worth. The Nats offered him his best shot...

Dusty and Sammy don't like each other. If the Cubs fall out of contention it would be really cool to bring Sammy back so he could hit his last homer at Wrigley but Hendry won't do that while Dusty is here. Why would it be cool? If the Cubs fall out of contention they should bring up some minor leaguers to prepare for next season not worry about aiding Sosa's selfish quest for 600. If Sosa manages to make his way to Cooperstown it will be as a Cub (the numbers are overwhelming while with Chicago) they don't owe him the chance to reach any milestones.

No, I think he looks fit (he used to have baby fat).

If this happens, it will be hard to keep them out of the postseason.

I'll go out on a limb and predict 30. :shock: :lol:

No, the Cubs game is definitely on CSN at 7pm. Looks like the Bulls are on TNT tonight.

It's Wood's return in late June at Wrigley. I was at that one. :) Cubs win it 3-2 on a Todd Hollandsworth single in the 9th. :( That's no fun. I would like to see the one where Carlos Lee hit one onto the street. :lol: Good luck catching that repeat. 8)

Link Looks like the Blue Jays have sweetened the pot. Foxsports.com claims Molina's signing is close.

I don't know if this is new or if The Score is getting it's info from the newspapers: Suntimes Also Daily Herald

I'd have no problem with a Walker/Hairston platoon at 2B, I feel that would likely be the best bet. And give Hairston some bats from the CF spot too unless Grissom is on the team. Baker will find a way for Marquis to get some AB's. I don't see Pierre getting a day off unless he's injured.

The 2003 Red Sox and 2006 Cubs are not similiar. The Red Sox offense was able to overcome the defensive shortcommings on that team (Ramirez & Walker for example). However, Walker was horrible defensively in 2003. IIRC, he was the absolute worst 2B at turning the double play in all the Major Leagues. Undoubtedly, that lack of defensive execution put additional stress on the pitching staff by allowing teams more chances to score. By contrast, the Cubs will rely much more heavily on their pitching and defense in 2006 because their offense doesn't appear to be capable of scoring more than 4 runs a game consistently. Add to that a starting staff that may struggle, collectively, to pitch into the sixth inning because of likely limitations with pitch counts (Wood & Miller) age (Maddux) and stamina (Williams?). IMO, it's the only explanation for why the Cubs are seeking to upgrade Walker at 2B A run scored is equal to a run prevented. Doesn't it make just as much sense to want to improve the already weak offense at the expense of what is already a good defense, compared to greatly downgrading the offense at the expense of defense in a not very important defensive position. I'm not certain that they are equal in Walker's case. Certainly, Aramis Ramirez's offense outweighs his defensive limitations at 3B but I don't know if the Cubs can afford to give up extra outs (on missed plays or errors) because of a porous defense up the middle. Given the makeup of the pitching staff, it doesn't surprise me that the Cubs aren't guaranteeing Walker a starting job. I think the Cubs are willing to sacrifice Walker's offense in hopes that a better defender will keep opponent's points off the board. In looking at the numbers, I was surprised to see that, overall, Cubs pitchers depend more on getting outs via the ground ball than in the air. Wood is predominantly a flyball pitcher (as are Eyre and Howry). Plus, Wuertz and Novoa appear to be flyball pitchers but Prior's ratio (excluding 2005) is close enough for me to question whether he would benefit greatly from having a stronger defensive infield. In 2005, Prior had a 50 point difference between his AO and GO but in the three seasons before the average was closer to 29 points. Is that disparity attributed to his arm fracture, the MI defense, or both? It's not an easy question to answer however, if his injury is to blame, for the extra fly balls, it seems logical that the number of GO will increase in 2006 (assuming he is completely healthy). Furthermore, guys like Wellemeyer, Hill, Williamson, and Rusch are either in the middle or are only slightly dependent on the flyball. Whereas, Williams, Maddux, Zambrano, Miller, and Dempster all heavily rely on groundouts. Edit: I'm surprised that you said 2B is not an important defensive position. 2B and SS are arguably two of the most important defensive positions on a team.

I haven't closely examined Lugo's numbers but from what I've read, he is an above average defender. I wonder how many errors he made relative to the number of chances he had to make a play? Errors can be misleading. Middle infielders with limited range will often have fewer errors than their more athletic (for lack of a better term) peers, that doesnt make them better defenders.

The 2003 Red Sox and 2006 Cubs are not similiar. The Red Sox offense was able to overcome the defensive shortcommings on that team (Ramirez & Walker for example). However, Walker was horrible defensively in 2003. IIRC, he was the absolute worst 2B at turning the double play in all the Major Leagues. Undoubtedly, that lack of defensive execution put additional stress on the pitching staff by allowing teams more chances to score. By contrast, the Cubs will rely much more heavily on their pitching and defense in 2006 because their offense doesn't appear to be capable of scoring more than 4 runs a game consistently. Add to that a starting staff that may struggle, collectively, to pitch into the sixth inning because of likely limitations with pitch counts (Wood & Miller) age (Maddux) and stamina (Williams?). IMO, it's the only explanation for why the Cubs are seeking to upgrade Walker at 2B

The timely hitting was there, Jim. The guys who draw the walks in front of timely hitting were not. I'm not so sure that the timely hitting was there. We left a lot of runners in scoring position including a number of basesloaded situations IIRC.

You have to be crafty and switch it up once on air. :wink: