MeatampPotatoesMan

Now you take Maddux out? As usual, one inning too late, Dustbag. Moron.

Thanks Neifi. :evil:

Earth to Dusty. Take Maddux out.

which team is Maddux on today? *@#&!!!!

heck yeah!! Barrett with another RBI. :D

whoa!! patterson comes through with the rbi double. 2-3

i'm seriously sad that we're going to have maddux for another year.

Murton with another crap infield single. Man, it's an art.

HR Barrett!! 1-3

i love how neifi has a rainbow arm.

wow, neither Macias or CPat reached base. amazing. wow, Lee looks like poo late in the year, as usual.

What would Harry say to you, Ryno? :cry:

How many HR will Maddux give up today? Go Cubs. :lol:

Giles power numbers are falling and I think it's safe to assume they'll be declining in the next 3-4 years as well. His SLG hasn't been over .490 since he's been in San Diego (IMO it's not reasonable to assume a line of .290/.390/.510. It looks like his plate discipline is returning though, after his OBP nose dived after '02 (75 points). Giles is a good deal better than what we have in RF, but it seems like he's going to regress in the next couple of years. I'm not sold on him, that's all. Break the bank for him? Sure, why not. His OPS is 2nd in MLB for right fielders. :)

When Ohman consistently improves like BJ Ryan has year after year, then we can compare the two releivers. I hope Ohman isn't a flash in the pan. BJ Ryan sure isn't. Why spend the extra money on BJ? Look at that k/bb ratio again. Dempster is playing with fire. Do you honestly think he deserved that save on Thursday? CPat saved his backside with his play in center. Dempster often does just enough to get the save. I'd rather have someone who can dominate the inning, not luck out. Luck doesn't last year in and year out (we get 3 more years of Dempster). When Dempster "regresses slightly" it's going to have a large impact on his save percentage. I'll guess we can wait and see who's right on this one. I hope it's not me. Yes, we have money to spend in the OF. With Murton taking up one slot (possibly Pie in CF...which i'm not in favor of), how much money do we need to spend out there (for RF)? we'd better have a solid pen ready when the wheels come off our rotation. we can't afford the difference in a setup man and BJ Ryan/Billy Wagner? of course we can.

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/players/stats?playerId=4133 How is BJ Ryan a "stud closer" and Ryan Dempster is merely a "set-up" guy? The numbers suggest BJ Ryan is no more the 'stud closer', then Ryan Dempster. I guess you don't look at WHIP, K/9, K/BB, BB/9, or BAA. What numbers are you refering to? ...b/c BJ Ryan is superior to Dempster in each of those stats. ERA maybe? That's about it. Save percentage? That's a function of a lot more than the pitcher.

The walks are certainly a concern, but Dempster's high K rate makes up for a lot of that. I'm actually more concerned with his HR allowed rate going forward. Before he came to the Cubs, Dempster was allowing HR at the rate of about one every 8-9 innings. Since coming here and spending the bulk of his time in the bullpen, that's gone down to about one every 22-23 innings. There are two ways of looking at that. The optimistic way would be to say that the move to the pen has helped him keep his HR rate down and K rate up. (Whether it's because hitters see less of his stuff or he can put more effort into each of his pitches.) The less optimistic way would be to say it's a product of the relatively small number of innings he's thrown while a Cub, and that over time his numbers will slide back to their previous, less-than-stellar levels. If I were to guess at it, I'd say it's a combination of the two. Dempster probably won't regress all the way back, but I wouldn't count on him having three seasons as good as this one, either. I agree with you about his HR rate, but Dempster's K/BB ratio is below average (it isn't even 1/2 of BJ Ryan's or Wagner's). So, I don't agree with you that Dempster's K's make up for his walks. We're not going to see '05 Dempster for a full season next year (well, the odds are against it). Why don't/didn't we spend the money to get an elite (and proven) closer?

Because a player is popular means he played the game the right way? :?

At 28 yrs old, I am. It's oene thing to offer a 36/37 yr old, like Remmy, a 3 yr deal, it's another to offer a 28 yr old, a 3 yr deal. I am pretty sure (there is no guarantee in baseball, mind you) the Cubs won't regret giving Demp the deal. Regardless of age or injury history, relievers are just too unpredictable the majority of the time to justify a long term contract, especially for the amount of money that Dempster is getting. Dempster is far from lights out, he's probably not even in the top 30 of relievers in WHIP. Those walks are going to catch up to him, possibly in Alfonseca fashion. I hope Hendry is right and "makeup" overrides Dempster's WHIP and K/BB ratio. He's going to need those intangibles if he's going to consistently overcome walking batters. That said, I like dempster. I'd love to have him set up (4M next year...less than what Hawkins made) and get a stud to close (like BJ Ryan).

here's some more details on the contract (from updated cubs.com article):

At 28 yrs old, I am. It's oene thing to offer a 36/37 yr old, like Remmy, a 3 yr deal, it's another to offer a 28 yr old, a 3 yr deal. I am pretty sure (there is no guarantee in baseball, mind you) the Cubs won't regret giving Demp the deal. Wood was younger (26) when we gave him a multi-year deal. I certainly regret that. Guys with injury histories need to be kept on tight leashes, even if it means offering more money in shorter term deals and paying out the backside for extensions.

i miss aramis.

dude, my guys are clutch fundamental baseball dudes. i can't beleive we didn't get a run there.

please get a hit, Neifi. please.

nice bunt williams. show neifi how to do it.