Monco

Matthews is having a career year. He most likely will hit like his 2005 numbers. I don't think hes a leadoff hitter either. If Sarge gets fired he definately wouldn't come here . I wouldn't use Dempster as a closer or Cedeno at short. There are alot of things that would have to break right (injuries,development of pitchers)to even jump ahead of the Cards let alone a pennant.

Should have pulled Rusch after the k and then trade him when his value peaked

Are people saying to take Walker off of 2nd and play Neifi? Its doubtful Dusty will play Theriot.

:roll: :roll: :roll: :roll: :roll: :roll: :roll: :roll: x infinity. Whatever, I don't see how you can defend him, he's not a good fielder. Today's game not withstanding, the attacks on his defense are VASTLY overdone. VASTLY. And sarcastic comments like yours add to that misperception. [sarcasm]OMG I can't believe WALKER GOT AN OUT! :shock: X 50 [/sarcasm] Walkers defense,Jones arm,Jones baserunning,Barrett not throwing anyone out,Cedenos arm,Neifis bat,Ramirez lack of hustle,Ruschs weight,Wood and Prior injuries etc. Its like beating a dead horse.But they are still here and they keep playing em. These are our 2006 Cubs.

:roll: :roll: :roll: :roll: :roll: :roll: :roll: :roll: x infinity. Whatever, I don't see how you can defend him, he's not a good fielder. He never was,but he fits in well here

Did you notice that Dusty failed to acknowledge Joe Morgan's comment about the team not walking? Dusty's response was, "Well we need to hit some home runs too." Yes. I also heard Dusty say he loves his bullpen. Then I immediately thought Novoa and Dumpster .

Mets 70 pitches in the inning,Cubs 8 in their half Dustyball 2006

Maybe they'll take the tape of the last inning and use it in a episode of "Cheap Seats"

LOL A standing ovation!

My money would be on Hendry answering the chant by saying "I'm on my own timetable." The best thing would be for everyone to get up and leave. All 40,000

Novoa should have been out of the inning on a ground ball DP. Will anything be said to Aram about going home instead of 2nd? oh yeah cause todd would have made the play. :P I'd love to be a fly on the wall of the dugout when (if) this innings ends... Are you expecting Dusty to hold someone accountable?

Hendry won't resign,hes still in denial

Novoa should have been out of the inning on a ground ball DP. Will anything be said to Aram about going home instead of 2nd?

You do not like predominantly defensive catchers. Correct? Can Blanco hit? No. But neither can most of the catchers in the majors. He is one of the top back up catchers in the league. Barrett helps the team from an offensive standpoint and is detrimental from a defensive standpoint. Considering the Cubs have a young staff they really could use a good defensive catcher who can call a good game and help instill confidence in those youngsters. The offense that Barrett provides puts a few runs on the board which in the long run does nothing for the Cubs future which is what they should be focusing on. I didn't really mean backup, I meant replacement, which is my bad. But that said, I'm not sold on the impact that Blanco or any other "defensive" catcher would have on our young pitching staff. I don't believe that Barrett's D is costing us so many runs that it's hurting our young pitchers. I think Dusty and Hendry mis-using them is doing that just fine. And I'm tired of thinking about the long run. I want to win and as soon as possible. Barrett gives us a better chance of winning in the near future than trading him for a mid level prospect and using Blanco full time. We don't need any more low-OBP guys in our lineup. Wanting to win right now is part of the problem.Thats why every year the Cubs put a few band aids on and build up hopes. They need to rebuild. Barrets defense does not make up for his bat. Hes a poor handler of pitchers and is very poor throwing people out. If you trade Aram and move Barret to 3rd,then you can live with poor defense. A top team has to be strong behind the plate. I agree you don't give him away,but he can bring alot in return. With Tim Wilken coming from Toronto,he has a better idea than most what they have.

They appear to be teaching him the value of clogging the bases wtih walks. Better late than never, I suppose. :roll: .251 ave .316 OBP 28 BB 319 AB They're not teaching him that well.

Hall doesn't have that much service time.Hes probably arbitration eligible.

Possible Reasons Rothschild stayed: Thinks hes next in line Hes from the area. Likes the country club attitude Likes not being held accountable

E Patt , Jake Fox,Felix Pie. Patt and Pie strikeout too much though. I always thought Pie would be a leadoff type. But they keep talking about his power potential. His average is down and his k's are up.Could they be messing with him ?

Bill Hall.Corey Hart, keep dreaming. This is 2006 not 1996. Maddux is basically a number 4 at this point of his career. Why would they give up their top prospects for a #4 ? Bill Hall is .274 17 HR 41 RBI and 26 years old.

I don't know where we would be without Neifi! Should Hendry sign him to an extention now?

He should have been fired long ago. Who regards him as top 5 ?

He will continue to get half players. Speed guys who can't hit, good fielders who can't hit, good hitters who can't field, good hitting catchers who are a liability behind the plate, good defensive catchers who are a liability at the plate. They will look for impatient hitters. They will overemphasize pitchers who strikeout 1 hitter per ip. They will overspend on mediocre free agents.They will offer million dollar contracts on pitchers coming off of surgery. They will continue to try and catch"lightning in a bottle".They will let it be known who they want to unload and get virtually nothing in return(unless you see a high value in 24 y/o A ball pitchers). In other words....Business as usual.

Rusch says hes ready so they let him come back. LOL . Guess nobody remembers how he was throwing this year. Hopefully they're only showcasing him.

How can you people even take a rumor like that seriously?

You are the topic of message boards. Aren't you a sophomore-to-be Cal wide receiver? They didn't get the real big names.They got the "budget" big names. The Yankees and Red Sox got the big ones.Its ridiculous if money was the issue with the top ones when you consider how much they gave to Huseby. http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=2508432 Sounds to me like the Cubs got the best available pitching prospect. I don't blame them for not signing a 16 year old catcher for $2M, when Catcher does not appear to be a big need for the team in the foreseeable future. What is the scouting report on this kid? You get the best players possible regardless of need.These players are probably 3 years away. 2 million is a risk .But for a potential franchise player its worth taking. They spend 1 mil each on injured guys like Dempster,Williamson,Dempster.hoping to get lucky. They spent 2 mil on Huseby whos coming off Tommy John surgery. 2 mil on the catcher seems the safer signing if he was willing to sign.