Andy

If you're defending trades to the media and fans, you're probably making stupid trades.

I chuckled at Reed's comment. And I'm pleasantly surprised they didn't throw the book at Z.

After 2005, it was utter desperation to have a 'leadoff hitter' after the Corey/Neifi Experience, which is why we got Slappy. And I will always believe that Hendry liked Dusty, thought he'd had a run of bad luck, and would've kept him if it weren't for the little fact that fans would have absolutely rioted.

I wish he would, but I doubt it. The umps hold the trump card. You get too close, they can snare ya. Boom -- 5 games, doesn't matter what actually happened. It's more than five. Hell, they gave Bradley two for a cap-bump, then started handing out two for tossing equipment around. Lou got four once for arguing, and I've never seen that before. And didn't Lee get like seven essentially for missing Chris Young with a punch? I always err on the side of more games when Cubs' suspension issues come up because that's usually what happens.

But you know what else is a joke? Suspensions given to Cubs' players. You just know they'll make an example of Z and give him 7 or 8 games or something to force a missed turn in the rotation. You just KNOW it.

yeah that was weird. I feel for the guy, but he's his own worst enemy. He's clearly thinking that the umps are out to get him, so he's happy a call went his way after a long AB, but clapping your hands right there is basically throwing that [expletive] in the ump's face. They deserve it this year. Yeah, I have mixed feelings about Bradley's conspiracy theory, but I think he's been screwed on called strike threes at least five times this year, and at least a couple of those were ball fours.

Ron's happy birthday wish to Pat and the ensuing conversation was absolutely hysterical.

If that's really the deal, not doing it would be grounds for immediate firing.

I actually think that a Denver vs Magic (Or only one of those teams making it even) would be good for the NBA. It would actually give some unpredictability to the league that doesn't have much of it. Yeah, since KG went down no one bothered trying to predict anything besides Cavs/Lakers, and for that to not happen would help the perception of the league, I think.

How many of the Cubs shouldn't have been in it last year? I know Fukudome getting in was already looking like a travesty by July, but I was pretty sure everyone else (besides Marmol, who was an injury replacement) deserved inclusion.

We get rid of (at least temporarily) Cotts AND Miles? This team already feels 5 wins better.

He surely did. And I was as unnerved by it as you were.

I'm so glad that I've barely been watching this team. How fitting is it to score 2 runs or less six times in seven, lose seven in a row, then score 8 (which would've won any of the previous seven rather easily) and still lose?

No problem, it's not like we'll have a lead to protect. So basically we have like a 20 man roster tonight?

I love these pictures, but to be fair, when Jordan was at LeBron's career juncture, he was still flipping out after big shots. (The Shot in 89 comes to mind.) It wasn't until he reached the "I'm Michael Effing Jordan and I Know I'm Making This" in the early 1990s that he stopped celebrating and started just being a badass.

The answer to the question is that the 2008 Cubs team was the best team any of us have seen in our lifetimes, and it still didn't matter. After mid-April and the Rich Hill meltdown, we caught every conceivable break. The other teams in the division started slow. Jim Edmonds did what guys always do with the Cardinals. Jeff Samardzija came up and immediately was unhittable - at least for a short time. We got one of the most supremely gifted pitchers in baseball handed to us for nothing more than minor league fodder and Sean Gallagher. We got good if not great years from our veteran stars - Soriano, Ramirez, Lee - had the rookie of the year, got a pretty good year out of both halves of a Cajun Connection that we definitely would've been whining about if it had happened in STL, had a no-hitter... ...and none of it mattered jack crap. What happened was we realized the only goal is to get to October. No longer matters how we do it or how good we actually are. Never again will we think "this team is different" or "there's something special about these guys", variations on which I said or saw posted on here or heard talked about roughly 8 gazillion times last year. Because it's not true. It's about getting to October and praying you'll have hot bats and shutdown pitching when it matters. Has nothing to do with who's best. That's why we don't care about these games anymore. And yeah, I'm still not over last year, either. Might not be for a long time.

LBJ has to keep being himself for like 6 or 7 more years to get to Jordan's level, and he probably has to win at least 3 titles to even be in the discussion. He could, but I don't think we MJ slurpers have anything to worry about, at least not yet.

Don't tease like that. What the heck has crawled up your butt this week? I know rationally speaking we should probably be okay, but I don't understand why people reacting this way after such a pathetic stretch of baseball should be new, nor do I see why it's all that unforgivable.

that shot was a hail mary. mj never put up a hail mary because he never put himself in a situation where he needed to take one. there was one second on the clock, this wasn't a craig ehlo/bryon russell situation. good point. jordan would have made scottie take that shot in this case. no, it wasn't lebron's fault that it was such a wild-looking shot, he didn't have much time to get it off. but still, it was a hail mary nonetheless. the fact that he's one the great players in the league takes nothing away from the fact that it was a simple grab-and-chuck-it-near-the-hoop and outcome that could have happened to any nba player. Saying this shot was totally badass doesn't necessarily have to mean discounting anything MJ did. It probably was something like a 10 percent shot for LeBron considering the circumstances - 1 second, guy in his face, fadeaway 3 - but the fact is, he made it. And considering Cleveland was probably finished if he didn't make it, I'd say that's a pretty freaking huge shot.

"Challenge accepted!" - Cubs offense

That took two posts longer than expected. Ironically from a guy called "THe voice of Reason". Why do people assume that Derosa would be hitting just as well as last season if he was still with the Cubs? DeRosa's less-than-impressive performance in Cleveland this year would still be a big improvement on the Fontenot/Miles disaster, and it's probably fair to assume he'd be doing a little better than that here when you factor in new surroundings and NL to AL.

I don't even want to pay attention anymore. We would have to play considerably better just to reach the definition of pathetic. Everyone except Fukudome just plain sucks with the bat right now, and the pitching has been just good enough to make our losses look less lopsided, and no better. The defense sucks. Lou is horrible. Hendry's offseason just looks worse by the day, as the Miles signing alone pretty much cancels out any good things that happened. And anyone that DOES show a sign of not sucking goes on the DL.

Why not have Bradley be hurt? Everyone else is.

A season removed from a season everyone thought was 'the year'...a gazillion injuries...manager making questionable-at-best moves and saying weird things...enigma of a RF wearing #21 and underperforming grossly...impatient fans...what would make you think that??

The Cards dodged Zack Greinke and we get Jake Peavy twice in a week and a half. Go figure. Nick Stavinoha with a 2-run single and Todd Wellemeyer spinning zeroes. Nothing to see here, move along.