thedaymen

Fassero pitched great for the Cubs for about two months in 2002 when he was the closer. I can't remember Rusch giving the Cubs two straight good months.

The good news is, as good as he is with spending FA money; he's got a spotty track record on trades (Benson for Julio; Kazmir for Little Z).

So what do you do to Walker if you're the Cubs...bench, demote, designate or kill him? Start him for the rest of the time he's with the team. Trade him to a contender that needs a second baseman. As soon as Valentin slumps, the Mets will probably be looking for a second baseman.

So what do you do to Walker if you're the Cubs...bench, demote, designate or kill him?

Welcome to the Theriot memorial bench seat Todd Walker. With better defense...

I was laughing at Rick for the "sore shoulder" bit after the opening pitch. His commentary is really bad, even worse then Ryno's column on yahoo last year, but he can say whatever he wants and still be one of my favorites. But my unsopportive wife was getting a real kick out of my reaction to how bad the team misses DLEE's speed.

Did you see Freddy steal that base in the seventh last night, dude? Need I remind you what never slumps?

That Rick spent a couple of minutes talking about how Dusty told him its not just the "gold and silver" the Cubs miss from Lee; but also his speed. Len and Bob immediately agreed pointing out that Lee steals twenty bases a year. Thats right folks, one of the reasons the Cubs went on their June Swoon a month early was the 2 or 3 bases Dereck Lee might have stolen.

So when Wood (ha!) and Prior are back in the rotation, who do you send to the bullpen, Marmol or Marshall? My first thought was to split Prior and Wood in the rotation so each of them take the fifth spot and pitch every ten days, then we could leave both rooks in and not hurt the old dude's arms [/sarcasm] My second thought is to send Marshall. I know he's going to shatter his career high in innings pitched this year, so lightening his workload makes sense to me.

I feel bad for my Mom. Friday will be her first game at Wrigley in 12 years and she's got to see this garbage.

Every move should be evaluated to see whether or not it brings the Cubs closer to a WS title. I don't see any move for Tori Hunter doing that.

Too bad those blowups happen though....

Dusty playing left for the Trolley Dodgers...

I know its not an off day anymore, but some memories from over the years, excuse me if some of the dates are wrong: I recently went and found the boxscore from my first baseball game (at the vet) when I became a Cubs' fan. http://www.baseball-almanac.com/box-scores/boxscore.php?boxid=198606250PHI Its funny, my memory is a little off...I "remembered" Ryno hitting a hr (Cubs' didn't hit any...) and Sutcliffe starting (Sutcliffe, Sanderson, who was I to remember?) I remember the last home game of 1987 was a game of the week, and Dawson hit a late hr...thats when my Mom decided to watch baseball with me, which turned out to be a big moment in both our lives. In 1988 we were back at the vet in the RF bleachers (until marriage to a Mets fan with access to season tickets on the first base line, I pretty much exclusively sit in the RF bleachers) and Andre waved to us before every inning. We weren't just the only Cubs' fans there, we were the only fans there period. It was cold. We had a big sign. In 1989 I went to Wrigley for the first time. My parents took me and it was right after the Cubs took over first. They split a double header and Dunston had three triples. Dawson was away at the birth of his son. I remember Maddux shaking his head in disgust and mouthing the words, "I don't have it" or something of the sort before getting shelled in game 1 of the NLCS. I was sitting in my car in our garage glued to the radio for the last out of the 1989 playoffs (an afternoon game). The Cubs were rallying and I was just back from a soccer game and I didn't want to miss the end. I remember part of me was relieved that Dawson didn't get up to make another big out. This was the start of me being a cynical Cubs fan. In 1991 we rigged up this ridiculous set of wires around the property to boost our radio signal so we could listen to the Cubs on the radio. We lived in the mountains in PA and couldn't get them any way else. We could still only get night games. In 1991 we saw Zimmer intentionally walk Bobby Bonilla to get to Barry Bonds. I always wonder if that was the last time that ever happened. It ruined a ph grand slam by the Hawk who was barely walking at the time. We went to Wrigley every year until the strike...my dad was a bigshot in the chocolate industry and he got invited to speak at all these conferences. My Mom would take his schedule and match it up with the Cubs. We also saw the Cubs at Candlestick, Dolphins Stadium, Olympic Stadium (where Dawson's cheers were second only to Tim Raines'). I got misty eyed when Dawson signed with Boston. I felt like the world had ended. Having rooted for the Cubs, Bears and Utah Jazz, I had never had a favorite player leave before. It also began a lifelong hatred for the front office. That Easter I saw Curt Schilling throw a shutout against the Cubs on a broken leg. I remember catching every Sox game on TV to watch him struggle as a DH, then eventually I went to Camden Yards where he played in two of the three games for a series and hit two hr's. I was convinced that it was my presence. In 1991 we went to a night game at Wrigley and I lost some sort of bet with my Mom so I agreed to unflicnhingly root for Danny Jackson. We were right behind home plate (not the bleachers) and I shouted out encouragement for DJ the whole game (he was getting booed pretty bad). He pitched a good game and the next day in the paper said he heard the cheers of a couple of fans and that motivated him. We always wondered who the other fans were. My last time in Wrigley was 1994, right before the strike. The Rockies were in town and since the Cubs' were the first game of the day we literally waited for Randy Myers to pop his head out of the dugout and waive. The unofficial sign that the strike wasn't today. I went to college in Baltimore and was roomed with a guy built like a linebacker from TN who grew up on Harry Caray and WGN. For some reason that was beyond me, he LOVED Sammy Sosa. Mind you, this was pre-1998. We used to laugh at SS's braggadicio and he actually still has the email I sent him in spring training of 1998 mocking Sammy. His exchange with the reporter was something like this: Reporter: How many hr's you going to hit this year Sammy? SS: 61 Reporter: (laughing) lets say you don't hit 61, then how many? SS: 62 hahaha that Sammy Sosa, such a kidder. With all the technology available to us, we somehow got great reception of WGN radio on an old record player/stereo roomy brought to our apartment as seniors. We listened to a lot of 1998 together while playing Super Tecmo Bowl. Oh, and I discovered the ESPN Cubs message board and began an on-again off again posting history that ended for good when I got a link to this site. After college roomy and I would take our friends (not Cubs' fans) on road trips with us. I was interviewed in Atlanta TV on why I was a Cubs fan (I told the incredulous reporter that I was a fair weather fan.) We saw Sammy hit the longest home runs in Turner Field (off Maddux) and PNC Park history on successive years. When Sammy's corked bat shattered on the infield grass I got a phone call from now-ex roomy. He sounded like his dog had died, and I guess in some psychological/emotional way, it had. A week later we were in the bleachers in Camden Yards getting cork thrown at us. The six people we took each had a letter spelling out "S-A-M-M-Y" and he waived gratefully to us. Apparently we were on TV a bunch of times that night. In 2003 one of my gal pals from college invited me to Mets-Cubs opener at Shea. It was about three thousand degrees below zero and the Cubs beat the Mets 123-0. Ok, it was 15-2. Two months later gal pal and I were dating. A year later engaged. I was driving across the country with my Dad (I was between jobs) when the Cubs clinched. I was in Arizona. Two nights later I was in the upper deck at Turner Field. I switched parents at Atlanta's airport and Mom and I went straight to the ballpark. Parts of the park were open, and as you walked up the place was entirely filled with Cubs Blue. At a bench next to the pizza place, everyone had three stories they told 1) why a Cubs' fan (most of us weren't natives) 2) biggest heartbreak in person (the aforementioned Bonds game) 3) story of how they got to Atlanta in time. People were awed by my story of driving across the country but then... "It was hard getting plane tickets and the paperwork for a trip from Israel, but perser..." I missed the rest. Lady had stolen my spotlight. Israel...whatever. EDIT: I was between houses for most of the playoffs, watching games alone in my apartment in Greenbelt, MD, ex-roomy's place in Baltimore, gf's place in Secaucus, NJ...hectic. But games 6 and 7 were at ex-roomy's place. After game 5 he was already predicting the end. Game six was weird...the place went just silent in the 8th and it stayed that way until Wood hit the homer to tie game seven... In 2004 fiance, Mom, roomy and I came at Philly from all directions for the first series in the new ballpark. The fans are so close to the bullpens there...seems like a bad idea, but I love it. Could hear the bullpen phone ring from the bleachers. Before the series Alou was complaining about nobody giving the offense enough credit. He had one hit in the series. In NY I was there for the beginning of the end as Hawkins and the Cubs kicked the last two games of the series. Last year I went to seven games. They lost all seven. This year, I'm as blah on this team as ever. A miserable offseason and a miserable start to the season. Yet, as we get closer to late July and the three game series at Shea, I'm already looking forward to getting reaquainted with the boys again.

Thank you Mr. Colbert.....

My complaint with Z and pitch counts is that these games aren't going to help the Cubs win the WS. Keep Z on a strict pitch count so when games matter again (hopefully) in a couple of years he's still able to pitch well. Why risk his arm on a couple of June games for a team 10+ games under .500

Can someone honestly tell me they wouldn't want to see Pedro step in to the box with Z or Kerry on the mound with Zim as the Cubs' manager? Suspensions all around!

Optimist.

oh man that makes this deal even worse for the cubs hahaha, way to go hendry! ....as in the Rangers are giving the Cubs $3.5 million; picking up that part of Nevin's contract.

Exactly. This is why you don't want this trade. Less playing time for Walker meaning: 1) his trade value goes down 2) if he doesn't get traded, he's more likely to walk in the offseason and we'll get nothing for a second baseman with a .350 obp That's not what I wrote. I figure Walker will be in the lineup either way. I see it now. I think you think to highly of the Cubs... ....and I think to highly of my reading skills.

Huh and what? Jones is the best centerfielder in baseball right now; at the top of the league offensively and defensively and he'll probably have another five years at the peak. Maybe I just have Lastings Milledge fever, but I think he's a sure fire star and can be had now for real cheap.

Todd Walker will be the odd man out, and this trade will actually make the team worse. Anytime you get a chance to get a 35 year old first baseman that can only hit home runs in the Minute Maid of the AL and give him to a manager that loves useless veterans YOU GOTTA MAKE THAT MOVE. [/Hendry]

Exactly. This is why you don't want this trade. Less playing time for Walker meaning: 1) his trade value goes down 2) if he doesn't get traded, he's more likely to walk in the offseason and we'll get nothing for a second baseman with a .350 obp

I gotta think Scott Kazmir would make such a list. For an outfielder to make it, they have to be something really special, and I don't think Beltran makes that grade. In no particular order I would think the Top 10 would somewhat age dependent and would look like: M. Cabrera A. Pujols D. Wright A. Rodriguez C. Utley A. Jones L. Milledge F. Rodriguez S. Kazmir J. Santana

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/players/profile?statsId=5420 Mmmmm...722 OPS.