KingCubsFan

I heard on the Score yesterday that in order to get a stay, the rooftops would have to pay some sort of fee plus be liable for the amount of revenue lost by not having the ad up if they were to lose the case. So if the lawsuit drags on for most of the baseball season and they rule in the Cubs favor, the rooftops would have to pay the Cubs millions. They would have to post it at the beginning of the litigation.

Have a link?

That's my issue with it. It's an interesting statistic, and certainly the best at attempting to quantify all the ways a player may impact the game. But I feel like people have come to lazily rely on it as the only measure of a player's worth. Discussion of players has essentially been boiled down to "[X Player] had a higher WAR than [Y Player]! Of course he's better!"

It's not the new regime's brilliant guidance. It's the old regime's complete ineptitude and their practice of giving hitters advice centered around being aggressive and not taking walks.

And another 3 or 4 may owe some of their standing to Epstein/Hoyer player development despite not being drafted or signed by them. sure, why not. I'm not sure if Javy would be a top 5 prospect right now in the old system. He would definitely be top 100 though. Although I guess that example is more "actual player development" vs. "dumpster fire" I don't think he would "definitely" be in the Top 100. Given how abysmal the organization was with hitting prospects, Javy would have probably just finished the year in Hi-A hitting .240 with 20 homers as a third baseman. And 200 k's.

For one, our top picks have been position players. And Theo/Jed came into the organization with absolutely zero pitching prospects. They've drafted a lot of quality, but most of the picks were raw and are well behind the positional talent.

Are you arguing with yourself?

What did that make McDonough? McDonough was the President. When he left, Kenney took over as President and retained his Chairman title too. So he at least had him and fitzsimons ahead of him calling shots Kenney replaced Fitzsimons in 2002. I interviewed Kenney in law school, so I'm just going off what he told me.

What did that make McDonough? McDonough was the President. When he left, Kenney took over as President and retained his Chairman title too.

Kenney joined the Cubs in 2002 as chairman. Prior to that, he was the general counsel of Tribune.

It's not whether you would win or lose in litigation. It's whether the rooftop owners could get an injunction while litigation is pending. By not starting the construction you have already effectively given them an injunction. Many many large commercial projects (often with budgets that dwarf the cubs proposed projects) start with threats or even imminent litigation or during litigation. No, you really haven't. A negotiating impasse is much different than a court-ordered injunction that will last for the duration of the litigation (i.e. years).

It's not whether you would win or lose in litigation. It's whether the rooftop owners could get an injunction while litigation is pending.

Eh, I don't know about that. One, the front office could care less about public backlash. If they get the package they want for him, they'll trade him. Second, most Cubs fans aren't that upset by Tanaka signing with the Yankees. Most reactions I've seen are "Well of course he signed with the Yankees. Why should anyone be surprised by that?" Third, at this point, trading players for prospects probably fits more into the overall organizational message at this point. Based on everything I saw about the Convention, it seems the organization's message is "Wait until you see these prospects!" Adding more pitching prospects to the mix just further supports that.

I think they did that, expecting to do more this year, but got scared off by Castro and Rizzo not making strides. So, they took a step back, since payroll is an issue with us and they didn't want to box themselves in. That is a frightening concept. I'm not saying I agree with it. But doesn't it fit directly with Theo saying they "jumped the gun" on Edwin? I think it has more to do with the fact that they figured the renovations would start and they would have a bigger cushion by now to go out and make more signings this offseason.

Why would they even propose the project, then? I'm not saying I disagree with you (this whole matter is very confusing and there is a lot of information we aren't privy to), but why go to the length of rolling out these proposed renovations if the end goal is too drag your feet until the project is dead? It may have started with the foolish notion that they would have gotten money from the government. But it was also part of the storyline they are selling both season ticket holders and potential television partners. That story being that ownership is gung-ho about pouring money into this team at any moment, just as long as everything else lines up perfectly. They talked big about the construction from day one of their ownership and everybody covering the Cubs knew it needed massive overhaul. They sold Theo on a complete renovation that would mirror Fenway. The threat of a lawsuit is just not a justifiable reason not to begin months ago. Large projects take lots of time and plenty of lawsuits take place. When you have money and city approval, you start, then deal with problems as they come up. That is, unless you were never serious about spending the money. This is asinine. No sane business starts a $500 million project with a legitimate injunction/stay threat looming, no matter how much people want to paint the owners as a bunch of dumb, entitled brats with no real money.

how many more seasons are we going to play the "if we just get free agents X, Y and Z" scenario? nobody good wants to play for the cubs right now. let alone MULTIPLE guys that are good. Actually, given how bad the Cubs are, I think it's more likely they would be able to sign multiple big ticket guys at the same time, as opposed to one. Signing multiple guys will give the players a sense that they're actually improving.

Got a reminder in my email to hurry up and secure my 10-game or 14-game pack ASAP right after news of Tanaka broke. Good timing there.

How could you forget Gerardo Concepcion?

Then you didn't actually want him Seriously. There was little doubt that he was not going to be worth the contract. It was all about being able to get a 25 year old TOR arm.

At this point it probably just comes down to how much the Yankees want him. How much extra is each incremental dollar for the Yankees if they're over the luxury tax?

He's definitely Mr Negativity in regards to all things Cubs. It's pretty clear the front office has entirely shut off him and Sullivan from any remotely insider information, and they're both pretty upset about it. It's hilarious.

The latest from Brett on a potentially "seismic" event: http://www.bleachernation.com/2014/01/16/is-the-cubs-window-to-cash-in-on-a-mega-tv-deal-closing/

What? If given a choice to move to a place like LA or New York, athletes will rarely choose Chicago. It's why I think it's hilarious that the Bulls are actually trying to clear cap space to lure big time free agents again. It won't work. Based on what? It's like this perception is completely based around The Decision and Dwight Howard. You must have forgotten Ron Mercer.

What? If given a choice to move to a place like LA or New York, athletes will rarely choose Chicago. It's why I think it's hilarious that the Bulls are actually trying to clear cap space to lure big time free agents again. It won't work. The last time a Chicago team was able to lure a big time free agent (Soriano), we had to blow every other team out of the water in terms of dollars and years. Peppers could be considered a major free agent, but I have no idea what his market was like.

It's going to suck when we finish "second" to the Yankees. Is this like a defense mechanism? Why is that fun? I just don't get my hopes up for a free agent coming to Chicago in any sport. Chicago just isn't that attractive of a place for outsiders.