Sammy Sofa

I was kidding. Calm down. We shouldn't have any problems handling Galarraga. Perhaps I should have used the green font. I am calm. It's a very soothing prophecy.

Cubs are going to beat Galarraga so brutally that erik is going to savagely [expletive] his pants. MARK MY WORDS.

I love how you have to clarify that you are legitimately asking a question. :) Man, I need to take on this "I'm going to bring something up and then just randomly decide when I'm not going to talk about it anymore" approach.

Someone needs to update the sweep photo with Quade's terrifying face instead of Lou's.

What have Len & Bob said in regards to his power? Seriously, I don't know.

By this season do you mean the last 5? I honestly cannot remember ever buying a $5 beer at Wrigley. Definitely. The beer from the carts in the main concourse were only like $5 or $6. I'd specifically buy from them instead of the vendors because it was that much cheaper.

Right, and I think that's significantly different than what people are typically talking about when it comes to "chemistry," which is in regards to the players getting along. Someone's capability as a leader is very, very different.

I haven't been to a game yet this season, but before it was $5 for most beers if you went and got them yourself. Well, at least at those little cart dealies. They were more expensive if you bought the ones that the vendors were selling in the stands.

Because that approach worked so well with Corey Patterson. Because Castro and Patterson are comparable players and have had comparable histories.

Right. Have another 2003 or 2007 or 2008 and it bounces back. Here's the Cubs' average attendance numbers over their history: http://www.baseball-almanac.com/teams/cubsatte.shtml Capacity changes at Wrigley: http://www.baseball-almanac.com/stadium/wrigley_field.shtml

Not just comfortably in the 90's; according to Comcast he was hitting as high as 97 and 98.

Well, Mateo wasn't doing himself any favors, but he got squeezed in that AB.

I agree that poor team performance is often times the cause of low team morale, but that low team morale does then make the problem worse. It's like what came first, the chicken or the egg? :D Personally I think team morale has little to with the performance on the field. If the talent and health is there it will usually overcome. There's been plenty of winning and championship teams that were made up of guys that didn't get along or downright hated each other or had scattered malcontents or unlikeable guys in the clubhouse/locker room. There's also tons of losing teams that get along great and are the best bunch of supportive buddies you've ever seen. Sure, ideally you want the players to get along or at least tolerate each other, but at the end of the day if they can perform they're going to regardless of who is friendly and who is a jerk, especially when it comes to a sport like baseball that is so reliant on individual performances. When it's moment of truth time, be it hitting or pitching catching the ball or throwing for the out I highly, highly doubt that that player is going to be thinking about a teammate they don't like. There's an almost complete disconnect. Again, it's tremendously unlikely he actually meant it as you put it and his statement was a result of his grasp of English.

Did anyone ever figure out when exactly it was that this happened last? The last day of the 2009 season.

BA-BOOM. CUBS WIN!!!

FINISH HIM.

HOLY [expletive].

He is? What the [expletive].

I don't know how many caveats and disclaimers I have to give. I just don't really even have a clear understanding as to who you're disagreeing with here.

How many people have been realistically talking like he's going to develop power a la one of the greatest HR hitters the game has ever seen? Or even that power will be his primary "weapon?" Most people here seem to talk about him like he's ideally going to end up being a guy that hits around 15 HR a season.

Nice AB, Tyler.

Meatball progress?

Hits an RBI double down the LF line.

HOORAY BYRD!

Castro cannot be contained.