KingCubsFan

Give them Jones and a reliever quickly

I agree completely. So, he'll have more pressure on him for his first AB, but after that it's just like any of the other 40 at bats. Plus, won't he see better pitches with T-Riot and the heart of the order protecting him, versus Blanco? So it didn't matter when Neifi and Corey were hitting 1-2 in front of Lee as opposed to 7-8?

On what planet is Mark DeRosa a better hitter than Jacque Jones? DeRosa should play against lefties, but I don't see how keeping Jones on the bench all the time gives us the best chance to win. Edit: And I don't see why Soriano should be hitting 3rd. With his low OBP, he should be hitting 5th and driving in people on base ahead of him

Ohman is warming up...looks like Lou is conceding this one

Just imagine if Lee could still hit homeruns...

Great job by Izturis. I'm surprised the Reds didn't see that coming

You might be able to convey your point better if you didn't come off like an arrogant jackass in every post. You also might convey your point better if your examples weren't all Hall of Famers or borderline Hall of Famers. These people are exceptions, not the rule. Back in the day, injuries usually just ended careers early on, and they weren't as publicized

I'd be surprised if Z were in the same rotation as Veal and Samardzija. Why?

So from oblique to shoulder again? Labrum surgery in 5,4,3,2...

It is just as true as the idea some have about Mark not being mean enough. Those two guys have set the franchise back about 10 years. Sad but, true. Actually, I think Dusty set the organization back more than anyone. Not only did he help ruin Prior and Wood, he also destroyed Corey Patterson and others

Jones shouldn't hit #2, ever. Barrett would be better as the #2, IMO, than Jones would ever be. I'd hit Soriano #2 too, over Jones. I'd also consider Murton/Soriano/Lee/ARam to be a better starting 4 than we've put on the field for any game yet this season. I think my ideal would be Murton/Barrett/Soriano/Lee/ARam Why would you want Soriano hitting 3rd? If his strengths are power and driving in runs, I would think 5th would be the ideal position for him considering his lower OBP

Jacque's OBP against RHP last year: .358 2005: .348 I don't really have a problem with him hitting 2nd when Floyd is playing. And it seems like Gerald Perry has had the biggest effect on him out of all the players in terms of being patient

nas's boss>>>>>>nas

Yes, but we're never going to get a pen of mostly homegrown kids as long as we keep drafting people with "teh awesome stuff" and hoping they develop control. Why? You can teach mechanics, increased control, etc. You can't teach 98 mph fastballs and unhittable breaking balls maybe someone can teach mechanics and increased control, but that someone doesn't work for the cubs I think the Braves stole them all

Yes, but we're never going to get a pen of mostly homegrown kids as long as we keep drafting people with "teh awesome stuff" and hoping they develop control. Why? You can teach mechanics, increased control, etc. You can't teach 98 mph fastballs and unhittable breaking balls

Don't they always start off strong and then fade because their starters can't last?

It's only been one week. Howry was our best reliever last year, and the inning today could have been much different if the ump hadn't missed that obvious strike. If you're a big market team like the Cubs, there's no reason why you shouldn't spend money on relievers who have proven themselves to be successful over multiple seasons. The problem is when you have a budget and you waste money on things you can fix in-house while sacrificing it in more important areas. Nothing wrong with a deep bullpen.

oh dear. if you think that 2 years is long enough to judge any GM, unless that GM happens to be named bowden, who is a prime example of a loser GM that probably has compromising pictures of someone important--then i feel bad for you. rather, i feel bad for the baseball that is unfortunate enough to be evaluated by you. "chemistry", "makeup", aren't these words that people use to sound like they know what they're talking about when they don't? simply allowing for "chemistry" to be an issue when building a baseball team is stupid, as chemistry is generally only important in sports where there are meaningful, intricate interactions going on all of the time, not baseball. and loduca is and was one of the most overrated players in the game, both on the field and in the clubhouse. the moves depo made were good moves, both then and now. *sigh* Clearly, you get some sort of hard-on by trying to start fights over the internet. If you're just flame, then carry on and I'll ignore you in the future. If not, I suggest you immediately seek some type of social interaction in a real public setting, and a reading comprehension book. Judging by the way you responded to my past post, you either a)don't understand what I'm saying or b)Didn't really read it, saw the word "chemistry" and proceeded to neatly categorize my opinions and respond by making broad generalizations. Judging by your other posts, I'm thinking the latter. Regardless, it's really not worth continuing this "discussion" as it's just a waste of my time. After reading how you interpreted the points I made in my previous posts, you've completely missed my point about DePodesta, and I don't think you'll ever understand (or care to, for that matter). *waits for Sulleymon to skim this post and respond with insults such as "smallballer," "Joe Morgan" "idiot" etc.*

Anyone know why Colvin didn't play?

We should all feel fortunate that, defensively, Alfonso Soriano has taken to CF much better than Bill Hall

ditto more small words that nobody can read i can read them. but anyway, don't want to start a big thing with the small-ballers who see depodesta's firing in LA as a chink in the sabr-armor. Oh I'm sure Depodesta's VORGM was quite high. Unfortunately, in the real world, we also judge by results, which DePodesta lacked. Way to categorize anyone who thought DePodesta was bad, too. "Small-ballers." Good one. (For the record, I think Colletti is even worse than DePodesta, and is quickly cementing himself as one of the worst GM's in baseball) i don't know how you can assess a GM in 2 years. but yep, pretty much what i was expecting. thanks for living up to the stereotype. What stereotype is this, exactly? The stereotype of objectively judging someone by their performance in a job? He inherited a division winner, turned them into a last place team, and then was unable to hire a manager, which led to his firing. He might be OK if given another chance, but I'm not sure why he should be anyone's top choice. I'm sorry I don't verbally fellate Billy Beane and his associates like you. It's ridiculous to imply that anyone who doesn't wholeheartedly worship and embrance every stat-minded GM candidate is clearly backwards-thinking and ignorant. Billy Beane is one of (along with Schuerholz) the best GM's in the game, and I'd have no problem making him the highest-paid GM in baseball if he wanted to come to the Cubs. But that doesn't mean everyone he's ever worked with is good at their job too. Next time, at least bring up someone who has had success somewhere, like Forst or Fuson overly defensive, strangely paranoid, prone to fly off the handle at the very mention of depodesta's name, likely to read small wording because they like getting pissed off and being provided with an ample excuse to flame--you know, a stereotype. 2 years to build a system, construct his team, and contend year in and year out. how very pathetic and reactionary it was to fire him so prematurely. depodesta bashers are ridiculous. I'm not really sure where I come off as "overly defensive" or "strangely paranoid" but I'm not going to be like you and simply resort to personal attacks and name-calling to get my point across. Word of advice: If you get offended by people reading something you post in a public internet forum, DON'T POST IT. Even if it's in small letters. As for getting enough time to build his own system, very few GM's were as lucky as him to step in and inherit one of, if not the best, farm system in baseball. If anything, allowing him to build his own system probably would have ended up hurting him. I know some people will point to some his signings as indications that he was a good GM. But that really doesn't tell the whole story, because Hendry has made some good trades while he's been here too. During his time as GM, DePodesta traded away the clubhouse leader on a division-winning team, while at the same time breaking up his late-inning bullpen which was the strength of the team. In hindsight, those moves might look OK but they weren't very smart at the time and suggest an inability to gauge the chemistry and makeup of his own team. Believe it or not, these things are important during a season for the players. And when he made that trade, he was supposed to be getting Randy Johnson in return, not Brad Penny, and yet he somehow allowed that deal to fall through. Again, good GM's get that trade done. Finally, he clearly mishandled the manager hiring process, as the owner eventually fired him over it. All of this suggest that he is a poor decisionmaker, not necessarily a bad evaluator of talent. To be a GM, you need both.

On some of his pitches, he does his double move in the glove. Even Hill had a good bead on those pitches. It looks odd how he keeps his hand out of the glove for so long, I think that might allow hitters to look at the pitch grip. That's what I was thinking too. It looks like he leaves his hand out of the glove for the hitter to view for a pretty long time

Anyone else think Bush may be tipping his pitches?

ditto more small words that nobody can read i can read them. but anyway, don't want to start a big thing with the small-ballers who see depodesta's firing in LA as a chink in the sabr-armor. Oh I'm sure Depodesta's VORGM was quite high. Unfortunately, in the real world, we also judge by results, which DePodesta lacked. Way to categorize anyone who thought DePodesta was bad, too. "Small-ballers." Good one. (For the record, I think Colletti is even worse than DePodesta, and is quickly cementing himself as one of the worst GM's in baseball) i don't know how you can assess a GM in 2 years. but yep, pretty much what i was expecting. thanks for living up to the stereotype. What stereotype is this, exactly? The stereotype of objectively judging someone by their performance in a job? He inherited a division winner, turned them into a last place team, and then was unable to hire a manager, which led to his firing. He might be OK if given another chance, but I'm not sure why he should be anyone's top choice. I'm sorry I don't verbally fellate Billy Beane and his associates like you. It's ridiculous to imply that anyone who doesn't wholeheartedly worship and embrance every stat-minded GM candidate is clearly backwards-thinking and ignorant. Billy Beane is one of (along with Schuerholz) the best GM's in the game, and I'd have no problem making him the highest-paid GM in baseball if he wanted to come to the Cubs. But that doesn't mean everyone he's ever worked with is good at their job too. Next time, at least bring up someone who has had success somewhere, like Forst or Fuson

ditto more small words that nobody can read i can read them. but anyway, don't want to start a big thing with the small-ballers who see depodesta's firing in LA as a chink in the sabr-armor. Oh I'm sure Depodesta's VORGM was quite high. Unfortunately, in the real world, we also judge by results, which DePodesta lacked. Way to categorize anyone who thought DePodesta was bad, too. "Small-ballers." Good one. (For the record, I think Colletti is even worse than DePodesta, and is quickly cementing himself as one of the worst GM's in baseball)