Sammy Sofa

I see zero reason to not send him back down to the minors. I think a big part of this is mental, and he's not ready for the bigs again at this point...or at least I HOPE a big part of it is mental. He really did look awful today, and not just pitching-wise. He looked real pale with dark circles around his eyes...just generally very sickly and pasty.

There aren't really fans out there who love Izturis...are there? Come on...

Bruce is the only Chicago sports press guru worth his salt these days. The fact that the toads on BleedCubbieBlue.com seem to not like him only makes him more awesome. Keep up the great work!

I think Farnsy is in my head. *Breaks bad*

Prior looks incredibly sickly. When he was batting, it looked like it was dark around his eyes, he looks real pale, and it seemed even before the game started he was flop-sweating. In short, I forsee another DL stint within 48 hours.

I think it was just hyperbole. How can anything as subjective as "the best fans in the world" be qualified in the first place?

I think there is 2 options for a masher LF Carlos Lee - who is a borderline DH Alphonso Soriono - will he be worth the $$ and will be be willing to play LF again I'd prefer having Lee in LF and Soriano back at 2nd. Yeah, I know he makes Walker look like a defensive god, but then maybe Izturis has some value. His defense, combined with Lee doing what he does at 1st and Aramis' improving D could hopefully make up for any problems Soriano would have, and the other three big infield backs make up for Cesar not getting much done with the stick. Exactly..a player like Soriano at 2nd actually maximizes the value Izturis has with his great range. I think Izturis showed his range quite well last night (with the ball on the other side of 2nd, and then the ball deep in the hole), and Soriano can really be hidden at 2nd with two great defenders between him in Lee and Izturis. Izturis's bat could then be hidden because look at the rest of the infield including catcher-we'd still have I think the best hitting infield in the majors (Lee, Barrett, Soriano, Ramirez, Izturis). At least we'd be right up there-then we would just have to figure out what we wanted to do with our outfield, but we would only have to make a moderate upgrade there rather than a major one. Couldn't be more right. In a perfect world, this happens and the Cubs snag a guy like Zito or Schmidt, Neifi's gone, Cedeno is the chief backup for 2nd & SS and Murton is platooned with Jacque and is the chief backup for LF as well. Of course, I have a feeling NONE of that will happen.

The problem is Hendry isn't going to replace Murton with Abreu. He's going to find somebody who is similar to Jacque Jones, with maybe a touch more power. The guy will probably be an OBP decline from Murton, whoever he is. And while he'll have more power, it won't be worth the money. True. But at the same time, I still feel Murton is not the answer as a starting corner outfielder for the Cubs if we want to see noticeable change in the next year or two. It's a craptacular catch-22 of Hendry's design.

I think there is 2 options for a masher LF Carlos Lee - who is a borderline DH Alphonso Soriono - will he be worth the $$ and will be be willing to play LF again I'd prefer having Lee in LF and Soriano back at 2nd. Yeah, I know he makes Walker look like a defensive god, but then maybe Izturis has some value. His defense, combined with Lee doing what he does at 1st and Aramis' improving D could hopefully make up for any problems Soriano would have, and the other three big infield backs make up for Cesar not getting much done with the stick.

That game was one of the wildest games I've ever seen. Baker actually snapped in that game as well as he couldn't execute a double switch properly. I wish he would do that more often. Get in an umpires face. Throw things. Go on a profanity laced tirade in the media. He won't do it b/c of his 5-year old son. Does anyone else think the age of his son is why he doesn't do these things like Ozzie?? B/c Ozzie's kids are all grown-up. Anything else White Sox-related you want to bring up in this thread?

This attitude reminds me a lot of the questions about Hill, and every other prospect that isn't great in his first year. How long? Well, a long time actually. At least until he's 26, when he'll be reaching his peak. His power is likely to keep improving after that age, even if his overall game declines. Here's a perfectly realistic potential developmental line for Murton: Current - .295/.362/.417 2006 final - .300/.365/.425 (24 years old) 2007 final - .305/.375/.440 (25 years old) 2008 final - .310/.380/.460 (26 years old) That is a gradual improvement, and entirely possible. Do I predict it'll happen that way? No. He might take a big jump next year and have a setback in 2008. Or he might stay stagnant in 2007 and make a huge leap in 2008. I have no idea. But that 2008 season, at age 26, is pretty darn good, and he'll still be pretty affordable. If that happens, I would expect similar production for the next 3 years, and by that time the Cubs will have spent maybe $16-20m on all his pre free agency seasons. That's nowhere near Lee or Ramirez, or the elite outfielders in baseball. But it's pretty solid production for a very reasonable cost, allowing you to spend much more on other positions, to make up for any SLG deficiency. In an ideal world, that's fantastic. But as it stands, he's taking up space in the one OF spot that myopic Hendry wants/needs to fill with an impact bat NOW. We all know Jacque ain't going anywhere. Allow me to clarify...I think Murton is a decent player. On a better team, it would be easy to fit him in and give him his playing time. Unless the Cubs are going rookie-heavy the next 1-2 seasons, they aren't that team. I have nothing against Murton and I don't think he's "bad" or that "he sucks" or anything against those lines...I just think as this particular team stands right now and looking ahead to next year, his development doesn't fit and doesn't help. THAT sucks, but that's sadly who it is and what we're reduced to.

Pagan in CF would be fine if Hendry wised up and platooned Murton & Jacque in RF next year and went out and got a serious masher for LF AND someone who can hit either at 2nd or SS. Anything else and we'll be watching a repeat of 2006 again.

OK, THANKS.

The Cubs are completely screwed for 2007...I'd bet serious cash on it. With or without Ramirez, odds are the infield will be pitiful offensively. Keeping Aramis would be like putting a Band-Aid on a head wound at this point. Lee is coming off of a big injury and has career numbers that, 2005 aside, don't really light the world on fire. Cedeno as the starting 2B or SS is completely wrong either way. Yeah, he's young, blah-blah-blah...either the Cubs suck it up and toss out a truly craptacular team the next 2-3 years trying out guys like Cedeno and Murton or they neeed to make some serious moves. Izturis can't hit and his defense MIGHT be better than Neifi's at best. Players like Cedeno & Izturis have hideous OBP that are only going to hurt this team. Murton has shown some impressive discipline, but he doesn't have the power to be a starting corner outfielder. Yeah, I know we're supposed to wait for it, but how long? When would he officially be declared a 4th outfielder or good platoon partner? How long is this team and the fans supposed to wait? Cedeno and Murton, on a better run team, would get their "practice time" as the primary middle infield/corner outfield backups respectively. I'm all for letting them play the rest of the way this year, but I'm not optimistic that either player reguarly starting in 2007 is going to help this team.

You don't have to be obsessive when you see it a gajillion times over. It's one thing to mention every so often that you're not a fan of another team...it's another to act like this is an anti-White Sox board as opposed to a Cubs board. Of course I'm not saying people can't do that...but they and others shouldn't be surprised when it starts to get on some other posters' nerves.

DO YOU ENJOY THE NICE BREEZE FROM MY WHIFFLING FORTITUDE?!!?

I'll bet a classy steak dinner that Nevin strikes out.

So close, Schlock...so close...

No matter how bad this sucky team gets me down, Aardsma's profile pic always lifts my spirits...

What the hell, man? This team actually starts winning, and the last 2 Big Z starts are some of the few games they lose. What a bunch of jerks...they can't do anything right!

*BARF!!!!!*

He did pull that 66 MPH curve seemingly out of another dimension for a strikeout. That was pretty damn cool...

3 run ARAM-A-ABOMB with Pierre and Barrett on board. Z was wild. How did Barrett get on? It's not showing that he hit or walked, and the Brewers don't have any errors. Did Z just spaz out? I saw how pissed he was after Barrett screwed up that strikeout. Barrett HBP (No Bush wasn't ejected) after Pierre had an infield single. Seems like Z just kind of lost it after Barrett dropped the third strike. Bush almost clocks Z in his first AB, AND hits both Aramis and Barrett? Come on... Z was seriously tweeked, and he wasn't hiding it. I'd be pissed too if my catcher screwed up that bad, but he's gotta move on with those things and focus. Barrett may have gotten the guy on base, but Z gave up the HR.

3 run ARAM-A-ABOMB with Pierre and Barrett on board. Z was wild. How did Barrett get on? It's not showing that he hit or walked, and the Brewers don't have any errors. Did Z just spaz out? I saw how pissed he was after Barrett screwed up that strikeout.

OK, this thread isn't helping...I ended up watching an episode of The Wire shortly after Z gave up the first 2-run homer. How the hell did the Cubs even score? Why is Z already out?