ChiefsVoice

I will likely have Oneri on with me either tonight or for the day game tomorrow (10:30 start). We chatted a little bit behind the cage yesterday during BP, mostly about the start Tennessee is having since he just came from there. And about some of the former Chiefs in Daytona and EST. I'll let you all know later during BP if it will happen tonight or tomorrow. Also - Josh Lansford is on Kane County as they come in tonight. Still listed as a pitcher. There were some rumors in spring that he was going to move back to 3rd for Oakland. Will be interesting to see him on the mound with not just Oneri but also Mark Riggins in Peoria for this series... NB

and me. Im on every Thursday LOL

Thanks Toonster I'll get on that with Casey... Beloit doesnt post radar numbers. I'll get you more tomorrow in Cedar Rapids. I believe he was 92-94 lot of swings and misses and yes he had more left in the tank it appeared.

putrid is right on. team hitting .208 into tonight's game. only Rohan, Bour and Cerda are swinging the bat well. Gotta think the cold weather has some effect on us because Clinton and Beloit aren't on fire either (except Nick Franklin)

Yep. Not all are accurate. This one tonight had him between 89-94. mostly sitting at 91-92. I'll try to confirm.

I'll double check tonight to make sure their radar is accurate but the board had Whitenack at 90, Struck at 92 and Latham at 93.

I cant speak to Rhee, but as for Struck his one inning today was his side session, or bullpen because of the weather they had him do it in the game instead of on the side. He is our Monday starter in Beloit. Rotation is set as: Today - Whitenack Friday - Antigua Saturday - Nagel Sunday - Jung followed by McNutt Monday - Struck Tuesday - Whitenack and so on...but next time through McNutt will start with Jung following. and those two will keep switching. Whitenack and Antigua are 75-80 pitches. Nagel and Struck a little less for the first couple of starts. Latham is the closer as evident by his save tonight. Bedtime for me after being stranded at the stadium for 3 hours after the game (dead starter in the bus in a town with no taxis. fun times)

No I was confused and pissed when I tried to pull up one from our league about 20 min ago on air. I'll a few emails tomorrow and see what I can find out!

Live tweeting @peoriachiefs if anyone is interested.

Tonight's lineup and a link to listen (via Bradley) is posted on our blog: http://peoriachiefs.mlblogs.com/

Could be. I'm guessing maybe Suarez...or Raley/Rusin. I bet its a bullpen guy though since it will be someone who is joining us the day before we leave for Clinton. Find out Wednesday I guess!

That was kind of what I was guessing too. Maybe Beliveau? We only piggybacked two of the five slots last season and that was because Archer couldn't get through five innings under 80 pitches and Shafer was injured. Will be interesting to chat with Casey and Rosario tomorrow and see what the plan is.

really? Our beat writer and I were just talking about how stacked this roster looks on paper with seven players who have been ranked in top 30 before. I dont know if he can actually catch, but Rosa is the best hitting catcher we have had here since Daric Barton. Then you have Lee/Watkins very solid up the middle can hit and have speed. A speed demon in center with Valdez. Two big power guys in Bour/Jones. Ramirez's bat intrigues me in a corner OF. Then you have McNutt, Antigua and Jung to start with on the roster. Whitenack is intriguing with his knuckle-curve and Latham was unhittable here in 2008 though no one has any clue what the year layoff will do to his stuff. Looks like Morla is ready to break out. Im nearly as excited about this team as I was last year even though we clearly had bigger names last season. I think this team is going to score some runs and be fun to watch. Just have to pitch it and play defense. Should be fun to see. And yes I think you will see Raley on Daytona's roster. Not sure about Kirk.

ok well on that note I'll withdraw from this specific conversation/debate. Enjoy!

I only worry about his desire to put his imprint on the game by "making things happen" which is just stupid baseball. Maybe, but that (small ball) has worked well for Scioscia, Ozzie and Larussa (hell he hits the pitcher 8th which is more than just stupid)...plus you manage a completely different way in the minors and the Majors. look at Terry Francona. I bet he bunted and tried made things happen while trying to hide a .200 hitting Michael Jordan in 1994 in Double A. How has it worked well for Ozzie? Ozzie ball is a myth. They won a WS in a year when they led the league in HR and had great pitching. It had nothing to do with small ball, and they've been largely mediocre outside that season. Scioscia is the only one to really make it work, but he's had the benefit of playing in a 4 team division with 3 really crappy rivals. Larusa lives on Pujols and Duncan's magic pitching coach abilities. There's plenty of failures in the coaching ranks who have tried this nonsense, notably Baylor and Baker. My overall point is that you (not you specifically, but collectively) are assuming Ryne will manage the Cubs like he did the Smokies. That doesnt happen. You arent trying to win the Southern League title or MWL title. You are trying to develop MLB stars to win the World Series in Chicago. Sure its nice to win at every level and in every game you play. But ask Oneri if he'd rather have Iowa, Tennessee & Peoria win in 2010 or the Cubs and he wont even think twice. its what everyone in every organization wants. To win at the MLB level whatever it takes. Whoever the manager of the Cubs is in 2010, 2011 or 2045 will do whatever it takes to win every game they play. Whether that means a squeeze or sacrifice bunt with Lee at the plate in the bottom of the 19th in game 7 of the World Series or not... I disagree on the Cardinals and how Larussa gets to the playoffs but that's a different debate

I only worry about his desire to put his imprint on the game by "making things happen" which is just stupid baseball. Maybe, but that (small ball) has worked well for Scioscia, Ozzie and Larussa (hell he hits the pitcher 8th which is more than just stupid)...plus you manage a completely different way in the minors and the Majors. look at Terry Francona. I bet he bunted and tried made things happen while trying to hide a .200 hitting Michael Jordan in 1994 in Double A.

I beg to differ..it has everything to do with fundamentals. I agree that the timing is bizarre, but the Cubs player development philosophy over the last eight years or so has been to get every player fundamentally sound (that includes the art of bunting). You also have to understand that wins and losses mean very little in the minors, which is probably why he has/had his cleanup hitters laying down bunts every now and then. The other thing everyone needs to understand is the fact that Sandberg wouldn't be managing this way in the majors. His managerial style would be alot different..I can guarantee you that Lee or Ramirez wouldn't be laying down a bunt with guys on base. So then if you admit they wouldn't do it in the majors, why would they be working on it in the minors? I will admit Lee or Ramirez won't be bunting anytime soon.. but there isn't a player in the Cubs system that comes remotely close to Lee or Ramirez offensively, so I won't admit that anybody else other than these two wouldn't work on bunting in the majors. As the person who has seen Ryne manage the most over the last 3 years he has easily gotten a bad rap for this bunting stuff. The Chiefs laid down a total of 38 sac bunts in 2007 and 22 of our 66 in 2008 game from Nate Samson and we were AWFUL scoring runs in 2008. And players bunt in the minors for the same reason that closers almost always work 2 innings and dont pitch on back to back days. Its about learning, not about winning. And Vitters, Jackson and Colvin all had better numbers in A ball than Lee (Can you imagine how down everyone would have been on Lee for hitting .267/8/53 in High A in 1994 then starting his 3rd year there in 1995?). But he turned out just fine. Ryno will be fine. At Iowa and in Chicago. Cubs fans shouldn't worry about his desire and ability to manage. just my 2 cents. Can't wait for the season to start!

95 % sure Dylan had TJ last August...and yes we knew that on Lambert...or at least it was reported.

I'm gonna go first with a question for all of you, the Cubs and Chiefs fans. I just started a blog (it isnt really public til our new look website launches next Monday...BUT for you, my friends its at http://peoriachiefs.mlblogs.com). IN addition to news, lineups and player profiles, I designed it with the intentions of giving a behind the scenes look. What movies we watch on the bus, what we do to kill time during rain delays, etc. So my question is.....What do you want to know? What will drive you back to the blog to find out about the 2010 Peoria Chiefs...not just the players, but me, the coaches, the front office, promotions, etc?? All input is greatly appreciated. Keep following us on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, 96.5 ESPN Radio free streaming and of course the website at http://www.peoriachiefs.com. Thanks for your continued support of the Chiefs and I hope to hear from you all during the season. Nathan

Unfotrunately I'm not. That was a budget cut last year that didn't get back in this year and I'm not able to pay it out of pocket either. So I'm stuck watching on TV like the rest of you guys!

Thanks. and If you want or need photos of Archer or any audio of his games this season let me know either on PM here or nathanb@chiefsnet.com. NB

Did I lose my job?? :D j/k. Brian did a great job as my intern and will be outstanding with these interviews and working for 312sports. Can't wait to see what he has with Arch. My question is non-baseball related...Chris was one of the best off the field individuals we have ever had in Peoria giving his time selflessly to visit kids in Hospitals, read to school classes, do media interviews, sign autographs and volunteer for other events. As a young man, where did this desire to help others come from and do you see it as part of your job in being a professional baseball player? Hopefully you wont be back in Peoria so good luck to you in 2010, you will be an asset to whatever team/community you pitch for. Nathan

From what I saw 10 times or so I would be angry to trade you and get Hicks back. Granted I've never seen you hit. Or throw. But I would say that Hicks is the worst first rounder I have seen in seven years of the MWL (with Bush) and that includes Ryan Harvey, Chris Parmalee, Chris Lubanski.

i couldn't agree with you more. and yes 16 teams next season. Lake County Captains (Indians) and Bowling Green Hot Rods (D Rays). Very unbalanced schedule. We will play the other 7 West teams A TON and play each of the 8 East teams THREE TIMES TOTAL. We do not go to Dayton, Bowling Green, Great Lakes or Lansing. The other four dont come to Peoria...

This list is a total joke. Hicks is awful. I think this list is a pretty good example of why none of the coaches or pro scouts I've been around in 7 years think that Baseball America is legit. Coaches especially hate BA and think they know nothing. I've really never heard a scout, exec or coach say anything positive about BA at all. They see guys once, maybe twice all season and then throw these lists together so take them with a grain of salt. In my opinion, Scarpetta and Peralta are both way to high. Desme is too low. and Burke flat out got screwed. I would have gone Vitters, Decker, Gordon, Crosby, Montgomery, Castro, Lawrie, Russell, Burke, Desme as my top 10.