Sammy Sofa

Just stop. How many times does this have to be poured over until you realize that wasn't going to happen? The Cubs weren't thinking of Hamilton until they were contacted by the Reds about him. You're glossing over what he actually was at the time by making it sound like they simply ignored a typical 1st round pick instead of a 1st round pick with a huge [expletive] ton of baggage who had basically been out of baseball completely for over two years. When the Reds came to the Cubs about him he had played 15 minor league games in three years.

But you can't really compare anything that the Ricketts have or haven't done to the idea of Pujols being available. That's some completely other level isht. They've put constraints on the payroll to keep Hendry from signing Hendry guys, not possibly the greatest hitter in the history of the game.

Because it's Albert [expletive] Pujols. There's absolutely no comparison to any other player that the Cubs could have acquired in the short time that the Ricketts have owned the Cubs. It's ridiculous to dismiss the idea that they wouldn't do anything they could to sign him if he was available.

Yeah, no shortage of rumors that say little beyond suggesting the deal, including a good portion of them that point out how the trade makes no sense for the Cubs if they're tightening their belts money-wise. It makes even less sense when you and others try to claim the Cubs were willing to eat most of Kosuke's final year to take on two years and $20 million of Daisuke. Really, think about it for two seconds and try to figure out how likely it is that the Cubs would want to do something like that. You're placing WAY too much stock in a quickly squashed rumor to try and make your point. I mean, in your scramble to point out how overpaid you think Fukudome is you honestly think that a team isn't going to unload a $20 million bust for a player they'd be on the hook for 1 year and probably only end up paying $8 or $9 million at the most, would likely OPS over .800, is a very valuable OBP asset and plays great defense. Again, think about it for 2 seconds. Either you think Fukudome is much, much worse than he actually is or the Red Sox are run by an idiot. Or maybe you're one of those people that like to make Hendry out to be some kind of a cartoonish buffoon. He's often very bad at his job, but why would he ever, ever, ever make a deal along the lines of those rumors? Now who's spinning?? Who squashed what? Every story has the Cubs approaching the Red Sox and the Red Sox saying "NO" The point was the Red Sox weren't interested not that anyone thought it was good trade but throw up more straw men. But you know what.... You're absolutely right all the "multiple sources" are Fukudome haters. The entire story is a complete fabrication. I don't even thik Boston has a MLB team. I actually planted most of the stories myself. You got me. The world is flat and Fukudome will get a raise after next year. Oh my, you're just trapped under your mountain of ridiculous anti-logic. You brought this up simply to back up the idea that he's "grossly overpaid." You even emphasized how the Cubs offered to pick up a chunk of his salary, too, just so you could then also emphasize how EVEN THEN THE RED SOX DIDN'T WANT HIM!!! Man, too bad that last point just has you spiraling off into an argument you didn't even intend to start. Basically you tripped yourself up. I mean, if you can explain why you think the Red Sox wouldn't want Fukudome even if the Cubs are picking up a few million and the Red Sox get to dump Daisuke's 2-year/$20 million contract, hey, feel free. Like I said, I'm getting a kick out of this. Let's break it down: You think Fukudome is grossly overpaid this final year of his contract. You think this is effectively proven by a rumored trade of Kosuke for Daisuke falling through, nevermind that the latter IS actually grossly overpaid, and will be grossly overpaid for an extra year and almost twice as much money as the former.

Nobody said Kosuke's final year salary is "appropriate" (though if he continues most of his offensive trends and he's not benched for Colvin he'll be close enough yet again) Through the first 3 years of his contract he is not, by any stretch of the imagination "grossly overpaid." That latter statement is just yet another in a long line of comments here trying to make his contract out to be some kind of financial albatross when it actually hasn't been, and the only thing "gross" is how grossly inaccurate and hilariously spazzy those comments are. But please, let's move on to breaking down just which parts of the Fukudome/Daisuke rumors you found plausible. That'll be a hoot, too.

Yeah, no shortage of rumors that say little beyond suggesting the deal, including a good portion of them that point out how the trade makes no sense for the Cubs if they're tightening their belts money-wise. It makes even less sense when you and others try to claim the Cubs were willing to eat most of Kosuke's final year to take on two years and $20 million of Daisuke. Really, think about it for two seconds and try to figure out how likely it is that the Cubs would want to do something like that. You're placing WAY too much stock in a quickly squashed rumor to try and make your point. I mean, in your scramble to point out how overpaid you think Fukudome is you honestly think that a team isn't going to unload a $20 million bust for a player they'd be on the hook for 1 year and probably only end up paying $8 or $9 million at the most, would likely OPS over .800, is a very valuable OBP asset and plays great defense. Again, think about it for 2 seconds. Either you think Fukudome is much, much worse than he actually is or the Red Sox are run by an idiot. Or maybe you're one of those people that like to make Hendry out to be some kind of a cartoonish buffoon. He's often very bad at his job, but why would he ever, ever, ever make a deal along the lines of those rumors?

You're not right; you just don't know how to use your ears. Stop trying to watch choppy feeds of TV shows on your computer while listening to the game.

Well now this is just funny. You thought Ron was the PBP guy? No wonder you have no [expletive] clue what you're talking about.

Well, now you're spinning things. There's a huge difference between paid "appropriately" and being "grossly overpaid." You could argue that he's being overpaid now due to the backloaded nature of his contract, but he could very well could be worth very close to what he's making even in this final year. He's improved each year they've had him, and if your argument that he's "grossly overpaid" hinges on the Red Sox deal not going through (which you assume MUST be because the Red Sox didn't want him and not that it would be a horrible, horrible trade for the Cubs), well, then you're argument failed before it even began. I mean, I'm assuming you think Byrd is "grossly underpaid," right?

Y'know, saying this a billion times doesn't actually make it true.

Unless Aramis just tanks this year I really just hope they exercise the team option and bring him back for 2012. Hopefully he's just so amazing he wins the MVP and his 2012 becomes guaranteed.

Was that his follow through on shoving Russell? So bitter.

No, you're wrong. I haven't been a fan of Ron in the booth for a while, but never at any point have I been lost as to what was going on in the game no matter what he was rambling about. abuck's right; if you can't follow the game because of their banter then just stop listening to games on the radio. The "formerly awesome" bit just shows how full of [expletive] you are right there. If anything, Pat's professionalism was even more obvious when he'd riff with Ron and still be able to call the game.

He can let it drop and sill spend big. It's not an either-or proposition.

Why? Shouldn't you be happy that the player on your favorite team is better than a player that went to your favorite school? ONLY SULLEY'S PLAYERS.

i'm too lazy to look it up, but i'm pretty sure that person wasn't saying that. very few people think that the cubs will be bad for several years simply because of the payroll resources they have. Then who cares what some nobody said.

IF, we are to assume that Ricketts will be interested in putting the freed up money back into the team. We don't know if he will do that quite yet. I'm not sure why anyone would think they wouldn't be putting any of the money back into the team. Really, think about for just a second. If you're saying that payroll could be locked in place or reduced, OK, but you seem to be saying that there's doubt that the Ricketts will spend any of the money coming off the books in the next two seasons.

take a look at how much of the reds' WAR last year came from players under 30. 4/5 of their rotation was 24 or under and that's not including volquez, who's 26 and didn't pitch for most of the year. Nobody's denying that the Reds have a good, young team. "Opposite directions," however, implies that the Cubs are moving to become cellar-dwellers like the Pirates for the foreseeable future. They're not. We're going to see a lot of turnover in the very near future of the Cubs getting better and younger. the comment about them going in opposite directions was made last offseason. i don't see how you can say it wasn't true when the cubs looked old and lousy last year while the reds got a huge amount of production out of young players. I'm saying it's an inaccurate statement. One year of diverging fortunes isn't "going in opposite directions." I guarantee that the person you're talking about was likely making it clear that he thought the Cubs were headed into the toilet for the foreseeable future and that's why people responded as they did.

take a look at how much of the reds' WAR last year came from players under 30. 4/5 of their rotation was 24 or under and that's not including volquez, who's 26 and didn't pitch for most of the year. Nobody's denying that the Reds have a good, young team. "Opposite directions," however, implies that the Cubs are moving to become cellar-dwellers like the Pirates for the foreseeable future. They're not. We're going to see a lot of turnover in the very near future of the Cubs getting better and younger.

The Cubs had some pretty significant under-performance in some critical areas, plus I disagree with the idea that they're headed in "opposite directions."

I don't think they will but I certainly don't think a person is immediately dumb if they think so. At least until further questioning. If they THINK so, they're probably pretty dumb. If it happens, it happens... but to look at the situation now and predict that those teams will finish ahead of a better team is pretty much the opposite of smart. Right. Thinking that could happen is reasonable. Thinking that it will happen or is likely to happen is being erik.

I really hope we sign Phillip Fielder.

That's really sad stuff that's been coming out. It sounded like Ditka and the NFL veterans support networks had helped him turn things around before that reunion special.

OK, THAT sounds awesome.

Eh, that's not the end of the world. If the response is talking in terms of having him hit 5th then I'm fine with it.