Abe Frohman

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Right. This really isn't anything surprising. Zambrano's shenanigans are stale. This season never really started. Wake me up if they win 20 in a row....

Enough crap. How much downward drama can one organization endure in one season? Wait....

He may not speak great English, but I'm sure it's a lot better than most of our Spanish - right?

I read that Goodman's ashes were placed under home plate at Wrigley. I'm a Goodman fan, and as stated already - who cares what any other fans think? F them, especially if they are Reds fans.

I've got good memories with the song, even though it hasn't been a "Cub tradition" that long. My daughter has been singing that song since she was 3 or so, which means it makes me smile when I think of it. My kids run around the house singing it when the Cubs win. I don't have any problems with it, and kinda like it. What I don't like is that damned slogan that the Ricketts brought with them "It's a Way of life" or whatever it is. Don't these guys know the historical futility of our beloved Cubs? They might as well just flip us off.

Great effort by Soriano on that catch.

Some of you guys really sound ridiculously intelligent. Like only the untalented players hustle, and the gifted athletes don't because they don't have to. What total BS. They are all big league players, paid well to perform. As Joe Dimaggio said, he always played hard because he never knew when someone was watching him for the first time. Reed Johnson is a better OFer than Alfonso Soriano. Probably because he hustles. Definately because he makes effort. Hell no, he isn't a better baseball player, but I would rather watch him play OF for the Cubs than Soriano. Especially when winning is important. Call it hustle, effort, assonfire, or whatever - nothing pisses me off more than seeing a guy loaf his overpaid ass around the OF while a pitcher if fighting for his life on the bump. How many times did Soriano "hop" before catching a pop fly? FOR WHAT DAMNED REASON????? I don't understand why more teammates, coaches, or managers didn't RIP him a new stinkstar each and every damned time he did it. How many times did he launch a ball off the wall, only to skip out of the box and end up on 1st base? There is a reason he plays the OF the way he does, and there is a reason he loafs. It's obvious, unacceptable, and a good example of why the Chicago Cubs have a crap team. That kind of stuff is acceptable - but let Mike Quade take a crap all over your best player just because he is barely legal to drink. This organization sucks. At least our new owners don't have their heads up their butts.

No one had better hair than Rose.

HUSTLE is a way you play the game. You milk everything you got, put it all out there for your teammates. If you hustle, you are respected. You either do it, or you don't. It has everything to do with the way a ballplayer does his job.

By all means, let's completely disregard hustle. It has absolutely no place in baseball.

Moronic mistakes like what? His routes to balls? His fear of walls? Mistakes are one thing, playing like your ass is on fire is another. We have all heard about how hard a worker Soriano is, but at the end of the day the "proof is in the pudding." When is the last time you saw Soriano run through a wall, or lay out for a ball? Think Reed Johnson, who is 3x the fielder Soriano is JUST because he will hurt himself for his pitchers. Capable, ok. Maybe I'm being a little harsh. There is a reason he is lifted in the late innings. You know that.

Nuts, he is terrible in LF. You know this.

Ignore the money he is making, ignore the complete lack of ability in LF, and ignore the .226 BA/.267 OB against RHP in 2011. I feel bad for Soriano, but I feel worse for the Cubs pitchers that have him defending LF. $18 million is a LOT of money, and expectations...... I'm sorry guys. I'm just as frustrated as the rest of you.

Enough already. It was nice of the Cubs to give this guy a shot, but what is it going to take to get 40 freaking wins? Starling Castro and Darwin Barney getting criticized? And he is still trotting Alfonso Soriano in to Major League baseball games? I think the concensus is that 45% of baseball fans have more sense than Quade is showing. Soriano in Left Field is conceding. To hell with his pride. Let him earn his money on the bench and get ML caliber players out there. Why no criticism for Soriano? What excuses for the losses now? Ramirez is on fire, Pena is hitting, it isn't cold. Quade's job is to manage. He isn't doing it.

Who was in that alledged package for Roberts...... Pie, Eric Patterson, Rich Hill, and a couple of other "good at that time" prospects? None of which really proved to be anything - but at the time it was a big chunk of what was thought to be the future of the organization.

Hold on - I know Hill wasn't bad. I'm not advocating that we should have traded Hill to get Roberts, I'm just saying that Baltimore got ALL of them (eventually), and what did the Cubs get?

Brian Roberts was not bad then, though - and DeRosa was able to play multiple positions. How would it have disrespectful to DeRosa to acquire Roberts?

Financially, it did work out. We know that now. I agree that the problem wasn't trading DeRosa - it was partially those bad signings. The point I am trying to make, is it really more important to have LH hitters scattered throughout the lineup, or is it better to have RH hitters who can hit LHP? Ideally, of course it is good to have a balance of RH and LH hitters - but that is not why the Cubs were swept by the Dodgers in the playoffs. It's a dumb arguement, and at this point is not even in line with the flow of this thread. I think Hendry is a fine GM, and I like the young players coming up. I think the key is having a good farm, and the Cubs are certainly stronger now than they were with the young talent. Big acquisitions are needed, and all of these young players will be getting paid in a few short years. Hope they are planning well - because so far the 2011 Cubs are crap.

How was he disrespected? Look, the DeRosa trade worked out great for the Cubs since they did sell high - but the mentality that he was just the odd man out in a lineup that needed to get "Left handed" was still a stupid notion because it got the Cubs the Milton Bradley/Carlos Silva contract that is now wasted money. DeRosa was basically replaced by Bradley, was he not? Yes, DeRosa was traded for Archer and 2 other prospects that led to the Cubs acquiring Matt Garza (who may or may not prove to be a good signing for a LOT of prospects who may or may not be better), but my point is that DeRosa WAS a solid player who was a big part of a good team. Hindsight proves that the trading of DeRosa led to good things, but it was bad reasoning, IMO. My point is weak, but it IS a point. It is related to wasted money on bums like Silva and Bradley, and bad decisions by the Cubs front office. Not to mention, Rich Hill was supposedly the "untouchable" that would have gotten the Cubs Brian Roberts - but not adding him to the pot supposedly killed the deal. Look at the Orioles now, as all of those pieces are playing for them (whether good or really bad), and no Brian Roberts! In addition - I could be wrong, but I seem to remember Wood wanting to stay with the Cubs but they didn't want to take his offer on a home town discount. Didn't Hendry even get quoted saying that he deserves a big deal, despite Wood saying he would sign a one year deal with the Cubs?

I have to respect the fact that more GOOD things have happened on Hendry's watch than any other GM I have seen the Cubs have - but it also has to be noted that he has had financial opportunites that no other has. One thing that I really want to comment on that I have trouble getting over is the changes Hendry made after the 2008 season. I really wish he would have retained EVERY player on that team. Everything seemed to work. From what we hear, Wood didn't want to leave, and DeRosa should have been respected more. The excuse was "we have to get more left handed," which was kind of a crap mentality when you consider: * against LHP as RH batters, the Cubs were productive. The 2008 team hit .300 with a .377 ob% and a .845 OPS. That is great team production in my book, but for some reason the Cubs LHP is the reason the Cubs were swept by LA??? Give me a break. * the team as a whole against LHP hit .288 with a .366 ob% and a .807 OPS. What the hell is wrong with that production AS A TEAM? This team HIT, and bad decisions were obviously made. Am I right?

Pena is not and has not been a better all around player than Berkman. Never. Just my opinion. I wonder if the Cubs showed Berkman any interest.

I just can't get excited about Colvin being the "future" until he starts taking a walk and increasing his OPS.

I don't think it's going to be as cut and dry, or even predictable where Pujols is going to end up playing for the next decade. So he tests the FA market, that doesn't mean he signs a lower deal than the highest offer and ends up staying in St. Louis. He'd be a hero if he does it. He could be posturing, or he could be absolutely going for the best deal. Regardless, no matter how good he is now - I just don't think any one player is worth that kind of money. That would be a great set of handcuffs. I'd rather see the Cubs invest in their farm system and try to get two or three solid bats to help out. They do need some big help, I just hate seeing it in ONE contract that large. Then again, I won't be complaining if the Cubs get Pujols.

THAT is a freaking outstanding idea. I am dead serious.