apete6

Not that its going to matter, but let's just say the Cubs were healthy and were going to start the playoffs tomorrow, would the roster look like this? OF (4): Soriano, Fukudome, Bradley, Johnson IF (8): Ramirez, Theriot, Fontenot, Lee, Hoffpauir, Fox, Blanco, Scales C (2): Soto, Hill P (11): Zambrano, Lilly, Harden, Dempster, Marshall, Wells, Gregg, Marmol, Waddell, Heilman, Guzman I'd think that Blanco would be an excellent late-inning defender and that Hoff and Fox would be an adequate RH/LH pinch hitting crew. Scales over Fontenot because I think he's a bit faster and has more power. Freel is trash. Patton would obviously be left off in the bullpen. Let's hope we have to worry about all of this some day! This team has the potential and maybe by having to fight for it all season, we could build some momentum going into the playoffs.

I understand that, but Jesus H. That's a lot for a baseball game. George Steinbrenner scoffs at the peons who are only willing to pay $180 for a game...

That's not the first time I've made that stupid mistake. I know there are two more teams in the NL, and when I think about it as 2 more in the one league, I end up with 32 instead of 30. Anyway, that's still 3.333333 players per team, and if we add Aramis as the .333333 guy, we have our quota. Our quota for a .500 team, but the goal is to be well above .500, well above average, and hopefully at least one of the top 8 teams, which is going to be difficult. Exactly. If we want to be exactly league average, we are doing great. Also, "turning it around" for 1 week or even 2 is really relative. Bradley would have to OPS 1.200 for, what, a month to get into the top 100? The part I'm most worried about is that our starters, for the most part, have been pretty solid. If they start stinking, even if the hitting gets better, we might be looking at hovering around .500 for a while.

Pansies. I'm not a fan of either team, but that game is usually a heck of a lot more entertaining than most opening weekend garbage. Why not play 1 quality non-con opponent? I understand losing a home game hurts, but come on, give the fans a show. I like the whole 1/2 and 1/2 crowd thing in the border city, too.

great post. i really didn't start to doubt lebron until i saw him disappear at the olympics. i was embarassed that our so-called "best player of all-time" took a big bloody dump all over the floor at beijing. no one will ever have the drive of jordan, kobe comes the closest but kobe still has an aspect of his game where he settles for terrible shots simply because he allowed to take them, though he's a much better outside shooter than MJ ever was. lebron has already shown that he doesn't have it. sure, he's frustrated and acted like a total punk after he got beat, but that doesn't mean he's very competitive, just means he's a baby. jordan, the few times he did get beat, sucked it up and acted like man, at least to the public and knew that if someone beat him, they outplayed him that night. Agreed on all counts from both of you. Great analysis. =D>

I thought hiding these Rule 5 guys on the DL was illegal? Is it after a certain date that it becomes OK? It's not illegal, but if he doesn't stay on the active roster for long enough this year he'll have to do it next year before he can have the Rule 5 restrictions taken off of him. Specifically, I believe it's 90 days that a player needs to be on the active roster. He has about 60 so far, so he'd need to spend about another month on the active roster at some point this season. Similarly, the Cubs could stash Patton on the DL for much of the rest of the year and keep him as long as he spends 90 days on the active roster. Sweet. Let's hope Patton comes up with a case of tendinitis right around July 4th. Or we could just release him like any other smart team would do.

The Cubs only have 3 guys in the top 100 in OPS in baseball: Fukudome: .952 (25th) Theriot: .814 (80 something) :shock: :shock: Soriano: .790 (99th) What a joke. Soto, Lee, and Bradley need to turn it around in a hurry or else we'll be looking up at numerous teams for a long time. Note: Aramis would be in the top 20 with his 1.008 OPS

I thought hiding these Rule 5 guys on the DL was illegal? Is it after a certain date that it becomes OK?

I travel to the DC area quite often for work and I can, without a doubt, say that NO ONE gives a damn about the Nationals. They are a freaking joke around DC. Is the stadium nice? I guess, but in a New Busch or US Cellular type of way. It's nice because it has comfy seats, lots of bathrooms, good food options, and plenty of seats available. The neighborhood is absolute crap (moreso because the economy is killing the redevelopment than anything), but will eventually be OK. The team sucks (bad scouting, somewhat cheap, and no draw). Their TV/Radio deal sucks. Apparently as part of the deal to get Baltimore to give up their "territorial rights", Angelos blocked the Nats from airing a bunch of games on TV and Radio. The O's are still the "home team" as far as the media goes. As part of the above problem, a lot of people are still O's fans because that's the only team they knew for 40 years. Even though the O's suck, the Nats havent given them anything to change allegiances over. The biggest problem, however, is the fans. DC is a town full of dbags. They are a bunch of front-running morons. The only team with a decent following is the Redskins because they have been around forever and being a football fan is easy to do because its only 16 games per year. The Wiz and Caps have good crowds when they have a good team. Otherwise, it's empty. No one is from DC and everyone thinks they are a whole hell of a lot more important than they actually are and following a losing team isn't "cool". The bottom line is, until the Nats are good for a few years, they will have no attendance. Even after that, I can't see them drawing any better than the early 2000s White Sox and even that would be good for the Nats. However, DC is still better than Charlotte and Portland and Richmond and Vegas and some of the alternatives. Boo freaking hoo for Montreal. Build a decent stadium and then maybe you won't lose your team.

True. Plus, if Marshall has to stay there because Randy freaking Wells continues to pitch very good, that would be fine with me. As long as Cotts is demoted to Peoria, I'll be OK with it.

Lou made it sound like Marshall would go to the pen. He's a senile old man. And by senile, I mean dumb.

Now it's getting out of hand. Palmer, I'll give you. But Brady, even though he's coming off of an injury, is still Tom Brady. Until Cutler puts up a few unbelievable seasons, that might be a bit too much of a statement. Tom Brady didn't put up an unbelievable season until he was 30, and his front office surrounded him with an ungodly amount of talent. Until that season his reputation was much better than he actually was as a QB (although he was still a very good QB). Cutler's first 3 season ratings average 87.1 and Brady's average about 85.5. Arguably, Cutler had better overall offensive talent. Brady's next 3 years were something like 92, 95, and 117 (the undefeated season). If Cutler tops that, I'll be impressed. If I'm starting a franchise, I'd take Cutler 9 out of 10 times, but for this season, I'm taking Brady.

x1000. If he actually was good enough, the Cubs wouldn't have been enough to ruin him on their own. Look at Walton and Smith and Grace and Palmeiro and even Sosa for that matter even though he wasn't in our minor league system. If the coaches on any level saw enough in him to warrant playing time, he would have been given the chance. We gave freaking Kevin Orie and Brant Brown significant playing time.

Now it's getting out of hand. Palmer, I'll give you. But Brady, even though he's coming off of an injury, is still Tom Brady. Until Cutler puts up a few unbelievable seasons, that might be a bit too much of a statement.

Heilman+Hart and/or Stevens? Does Blalock have a chance at Type A after the season? More importantly, would he make too much in arbitration for us to consider offering it to him? I think he would be a good stopgap at 3B, especially during interleague play, and then he would be a formidable bat off the bench and starting at 3B or 1B once a week. Eventually, Hoff's playing time could dwindle, but he could also get ABs in RF when Bradley inevitably gets hurt again.

BUTHEHASNOPOWER!!!

What a joke. Eff Hendry if this is the deal that get's done. That's like Marshall, Wells, and Fontenot. Eff Hendry for what exactly? If he rejected Peavy for the Cubs equivelant of Poreda, Lillibridge, and Floyd and that is the trade that comes (which it probably isn't). This never happened. Hence the IF.

What a joke. Eff Hendry if this is the deal that get's done. That's like Marshall, Wells, and Fontenot. Eff Hendry for what exactly? If he rejected Peavy for the Cubs equivelant of Poreda, Lillibridge, and Floyd and that is the trade that comes (which it probably isn't).

What a joke. Eff Hendry if this is the deal that get's done. That's like Marshall, Wells, and Fontenot.

According to ESPN.com, Beckham NOT part of the deal. Great deal for the Sox.

Aramis might not even be here in 2011, he has yet another opt out clause after 2010. I don't think he wants to leave and I don't think the Cubs want him to leave. I would imagine the Cubs do what they did last time and give him a slight raise.

And that's the problem. What's an extra $3 million this year (0.5 MM overall) when you're trying to win a World Series. Very inconsistent by the Cubs management, even with the ownership change. "$10 million for Bradley--$30 million overall? Why not? 4 million for Gregg? Sure. $3 million for DeRosa? I don't think so, let's get Aaron Miles instead!" Even if they had "benched" him for Fontenot, he would have been worth it. 2 weeks a year (at least) at 3rd, platoon in RF with Bradley, platoon at 2B with Fontenot, a game or two at shortstop, insurance for Soriano and/or Lee. He would have gotten 300 ABs at least even without Aramis going down with this 2 month injury. Maybe Lou just didn't like him, although I still find that hard to believe.

With Jesus Singletary as the head coach? I highly doubt it. And Singletary can sell the 'forgiveness'. Its not like Mike hasnt helped trouble people in the past or shun them. True, but unless prison really reformed the heck out of Vick, he probably still isn't the hardest working guy around and that's the thing Singletary can't stand. Vick should have been so much better without any of the off the field garbage. Although the off the field stuff probably played a part in why he wasn't better and its all a representation of his overall character, which could have been rehabilitated. I think the Dolphins could be a fit, too. Parcells would read him the riot act and then put him in there with Brown, Williams, Pennington, Ginn. Could be exciting.

I was meaning more of an overall committment. Wasn't DeRosa like $5.5 million for this year while Miles is $5 million over 2 years? That's a pretty minor overall difference, even when looking at just this year's payroll. And, yes, Wells and Miles for the 3 Indians guys would probably be good for the Cubs in the long run.

With Jesus Singletary as the head coach? I highly doubt it.