ConstableRabbit

Because AL teams play 90% of their games against other AL teams and NL teams play 90% of their games against other NL teams. Schedules aren't of even strengths, either. A better record between two teams only shows how much that team dominated their own league (mostly their own division). It doesn't necessarily mean they're a better team than a team from a different league with 2-3 less wins. Now we're going to penalize teams based on their difficulty of their division/league based on that particular year? It's not an awful idea, but I don't think it's the obvious logical choice.

YES!!!!

He's still only 15.

Paige was such a tall-tale artist that it is hard to know what is true and what isn't during his career. Be pretty cool if it was true. That is true, but it was someone else telling the story. Can you imagine how pissed off we'd be if Zambrano challenged, say, Pujols like that? And how excited we would be if it worked?

MLB Network had a special on the Negro Leagues last night. Apparently Satchel Paige wanted to challenge Josh Gibson so badly that in the bottom of the 9th with a runner on first and 1 out, Paige intentionally walked 2 batters just to reach Gibson. He struck him out looking on 3 pitches. Gibson never took the bat off his shoulder.

This.

Just because Alfonseca sucked, doesn't mean Gregg will. Gregg Home/Away splits also show that Dolphin Stadium had very little effect in his results. Also keep in mind Gregg was pretty good out of the pen for the Angels in 06, his overall era was just higher due to him starting 3 games. He had a 3.45 era in 62.2 IP while striking out 62 and walking 19. Over the last three seasons out of the pen, he has a 3.47 era, striking out 206 with teams hitting just 227 against him in 215 IP. I expect Gregg to have simliar numbers for the Cubs next year. Plus if Gregg isn't pitching in the 8th or 9th who will be then? Vizcaino? Gaudin? Guzman might be a good option if you can count on him staying healthy? Samardzija maybe, but then he can't start and thats big role for such a raw pitcher IMO. Lou wouldn't do this, but I wouldn't have a terrible problem with Wuertz as the closer and Marmol in the eighth inning/fireman role. I don't have a terrible problem with Gregg - I just wonder if Ceda didn't have more value than a decent ML reliever. Maybe not, but that's my only real problem with that move. It seems like Wuertz and Gregg are similar pitchers. Good stuff, good K numbers, control problems. I hope Lou doesn't sour on Gregg the same way he did on Wuertz.

I ran into Fontenot in a club last summer. He didn't look like a meth user but definitely looked like a completely normal guy. He's really short so he doesn't look like a pro athlete at first glance, but he's really built. I did a doubletake before talking to him.

I used to go every year. It's fun, but it's really overcrowded. I completely understand why that is, but it's just not worth it anymore for me.

:-))

Trading DeRosa was more about making room for Aaron Miles than saving money. Hendry's absurd infatuation with left handedness over actual production is what motivated him on that move. That's a pretty ridiculous suggestion. There's no way the Cubs traded away Derosa because they wanted Aaron Miles that badly. The Cubs saved money from trading Derosa, and didn't use it all on Miles. They clearly did it to free money for a starting pitcher. They saved $2m. That will barely help in the search of a pitcher. The primary motivation was getting more lefthanded, which they accomplished by replacing DeRosa with Miles. Bradley replaces Edmonds, they aren't getting more LH that way. The #1 goal of Hendry this offseason has been to get more LH, and the only way they've done that is by replacing DeRosa with Miles. You are naive if you think my statement is ridiculous. 3.3 million, and even if DeRosa was traded to get more LH that would be because they have confidence in Fontenot, not Miles. It sounds like Miles is going to get most of his starts when he is batting from the right side. Exactly. Miles was brought in to replace Derosa's versatility (which frankly is just as stupid). Miles isn't making the team more lefthanded. Starting Fontenot everyday is. Your statement insinuates that the team prefers to have Miles over Derosa, and that's most definitely not the case. The question is whether they prefer to have Miles or Fontenot play against RHP. I suspect it's the former, and that's going to make my head explode. Why do you suspect that?

:-)) =D>

I'd love to have him in the back of the 'pen.

I like this guy. "Pressure is when you're struggling to put food on the table for your family. I don't have to. This is baseball. Baseball is easy."

More props from a player saying Hendry is an honest guy to deal with.

"I know that there's been a lot of pain here for a lot of fans. I also know that, at least, every fiber of my being... all I wanna do is win."

Hendry: I had dinner with Milton on November 6th, and he said "I really want to be a Chicago Cub if you want me."

It says on their website http://www.csnchicago.com that they will at 3:30. Yeah, I read that. I'd just think they'd have some analysis on before. Oh well, we'll see.

Soto....gritty? Half-Pudge, half-Piazza...

CSN has a replay Hawks game on now. I hope they're actually going to air the press conference.

He's gonna get a lucky shallow OF blooper to win a game at some point, and you're gonna hear about his guts, and grit, and how he plays the game the right way. Wrong. Black guys can't be gritty. Don't you know the rules? I dunno. How else has Juan Pierre built a career if not for his grit? I think this rule needs to be challenged. Surely Neifi was gritty. Tony Womack. I never thought they were characterized as gritty. Juan was given the "speed doesn't slump" monikor, Neifi was a versatile sure-handed professional hitter (yes, I read that he was a professional hitter). And Womack was just Tony Womack. Silly argument of course, but doing a google search for all three with the word "gritty" included turns up hits for all 3 where gritty was used in reference to them (admittedly, I found only one direct usage of it for Neifi and Womack each). Are there any good players labeled as "gritty"? Jeter, Pete Rose, Carlton Fisk, Biggio. Everybody used to be gritty. They all played the game the right way, which is rule #1. And catchers don't count, they're all gritty, except for the ones with frosted tips and bleached hair. I guess that's true. A lot more of the old-timey guys are gritty. Biggio and Jeter are interesting exceptions though.

He's gonna get a lucky shallow OF blooper to win a game at some point, and you're gonna hear about his guts, and grit, and how he plays the game the right way. Wrong. Black guys can't be gritty. Don't you know the rules? I dunno. How else has Juan Pierre built a career if not for his grit? I think this rule needs to be challenged. Surely Neifi was gritty. Tony Womack. I never thought they were characterized as gritty. Juan was given the "speed doesn't slump" monikor, Neifi was a versatile sure-handed professional hitter (yes, I read that he was a professional hitter). And Womack was just Tony Womack. Silly argument of course, but doing a google search for all three with the word "gritty" included turns up hits for all 3 where gritty was used in reference to them (admittedly, I found only one direct usage of it for Neifi and Womack each). Are there any good players labeled as "gritty"? Jeter, Pete Rose, Carlton Fisk, Biggio.

I've been arguing for a few years now that Lee is an ideal #2 hitter, particularly if Soriano is ousted from the lead-off. Ironically, the way the current club is constructed, I look at Brian Roberts once again as the perfect compliment to this team. How many double plays are you willing to stomach?

Thanks for posting that. I'm really surprised he didn't mention the SEC allegations being a factor at all. Maybe it would've been if he'd gotten further in the process. In any case, what he wrote makes sense. Too bad it didn't work out. The way I read it was that he asked for an extension because he couldn't come up with enough cash and was told that if some of the other prospective buyers couldn't make their numbers, they would come back to Cuban. I didn't see anything in there about not getting approved by owners.

Hmmm....I think if you polled around the league you would find that ARam is at least close to being "feared" or whatever. Teams certainly would rather not see him coming up in the 9th with a 1 run lead and a couple runners on. God... I can't wait for those moments and for the season to start!