srbin84

:shock: Harris sucked, but Hiatt or Leon? Oh yeah, absolutely. Take a look at what those two guys did at AAA. No way in hell Harris could have approaced their numbers if he were down there, and then look at Lenny's attrociously terribly putrid MLB numbers.

Hollandsworth over Murton last year. Estes over Cruz. Harris over Hiatt and Leon (although Hiatt was older but still not a vet/experienced) Karros vs. Choi is a tough one, I'll give him the benefit of the doubt.

John and Mick sounded like they were on quaaludes or something, lol.

Marshall looked great, he gets better every start. Wilson clearly should have been called out, I had a perfect view of the play. Another save from the most underrated closer in baseball and probably the best in the NL. And Murton, well, he's the straw that stirs the drink.

I'm all for this trade. If Lee comes back, it would be a better offense than the Cards.

I can't believe people didn't think the Mick Taylor stuff was awesome.

Didn't Steve Stone counsel for this those few years he wasn't announcing? I don't know, but Steve Stone and I pretty much agree on everything he says about everything.

Am I the only one who thinks he could be done for the season but Skiles and the Bulls don't want the Heat or the rest of our team to know that? I wouldn't be surprised, but I didn't see the injury. It looked really bad. He looked to be in a lot of pain and was carried off the court by Luke and a trainer.

Am I the only one who thinks he could be done for the season but Skiles and the Bulls don't want the Heat or the rest of our team to know that?

I think just the opposite. Prior is in the future plans. thus, you take care that he will be around for the next couple/few years. Wood is only in the future plans if the Cubs pick up an enormous option year at tremendous risk. if Prior burns out by being rushed, the team loses 3 years of a potentially outstanding starter at a arbitration rates. if Wood burns out by being rushed, the team makes the right decision and declines the option. I agree with your points. I'm just saying if we are talking about the player milking the team, Prior should be the subject, not Wood...that's if you question the legitimacy/severity of some of his injuries, which I do. A winter flu and a shoulder strain costing half the season....I know he's the golden boy and all, but I can't say a half season gone matches those injuries. I'm not saying he's soft, it could be a number of things. It could just be the Cubs being cautious, but even with an asset as valuable as Prior, I think there is a point where you are too cautious.

I think all the hype about this TE class was ridiculously overblown, and the vast majority of them are going to be worthless in the NFL. I'm guessing only 2 or 3 stick in the league and do anything of value. And nobody knows who those 2 or 3 will be. I'd just like to see the Bears have a good TE since we've always had questionable QBs. It looks like this Day guy could be good, but if tight ends are as unpredictable as you imply, at least this year anyway, then I'd like to see the Bears bring in 3 or 4 guys like Day and find a good one that route. I just want to see what looks like a good plan to fill that position with a good player.

You could say that about Prior but not Wood. I've been frustrated with Wood's injuries but at least they required surgery and long rehab. Nobody would want that to happen to them, and you can't really question the legitimacy.

I disagree. Football is not a stable sport. A great defense can go soft in a year or two. And the Bears defense did have some weakness. Plus, I think it's different when you focus on offense and "ignore" defense (pitching) than when you focus on defense and "ignore" offense. I just don't see how anybody they could have drafted on offense at 26 would have made the 2006 offense any better. Grossman's health will determine if this offense improves, and Griese's presence will make it easier if Rex goes down. If the Bears are going to win the Super Bowl it's going to be because of a dominant defense. The offense will never be great. It has to get better, but the realistic goal is more like average. I was very happy they didn't pretend the defense was fine and didn't need help. I think all those 2005 offensive picks are going to have a much greater impact than any 2006 offensive picks could have had this year. I agree with the jist of what you are saying, but if we had just taken Lewis in the first round and used the rest of our picks for defense, everybody would have been happy and I think the team would be better for it. I have little faith in Tillman, so I'm fine with getting a corner or two, but I'd really like to see the Bears have a big target for the short passing game. I really think it would improve the offense. Even a bad QB like Orton can throw an accurate short pass to get a first down when need be.

Yeah, I was. Oh well, he's a good player though, hope he's back and 100% next year.

Yeah, that same old tired annual excuse. And what can/will we do about it but accept it and keep following them?

My problem isn't so much that I don't like some of the players he drafted but that even if they do work out, how much will it really improve the team? The defense was already one of the best last year, so there isn't much room to improve. It's like the Rangers trading for another slugger when they obviously need pitching.

Is there any chance Songaila could come back for the second round, or do we have to wait until the finals?

I would really like the pick if they were creative enough to get him some touches on offense. But I'm not sure how creative the Bears actually are, and if they can find a way to use him appropriately. I still think it was a reach selection, given that he doesn't have a real position. I would have liked one of those slash QBs around the 4th round. Instead of overpaying Randle El in free agency, they could have found a cheap one in the draft. Smith would have been a good pick for this. He's a better running QB than Vick, IMO. He's like the Gale Sayers of running QB's.

I love the way you phrased that point.

Prior probably isn't soft, but I think he may have Traumatophobia. It's the fear of being injured. I don't think it would hurt him to see a sports psychologist.

And after seeing a picture of him, it wouldn't surprise me at all if he uses the word "dude" even more. http://www.signonsandiego.com/uniontrib/20051227/images/dusty140.jpg

I was wondering why the heck TT would back a pessimistic/critical point about Prior, haha.

Remember Rodney Myers? That guy was a hell of a mop-up man.

run support and the bullpen blowing leads are the two reasons a pitcher with a 3.20 ERA doesn't have more than 14 wins. Yeah, actually, I've always blamed Wood in part for his low win totals. No question about it, this guy has gotten screwed more than his fair share by the bullpen, but he's pretty inconsistent. Wood will have a great game, a good game and crappy game and pretty much alternate the whole season. He's so dominating when he is on that his total ERA remains good, but the inconsistentcy doesn't give him or the team as many opportunites to win the game. When he is off, you can pretty much mark down as a loss. Wins are a team stat and a worthless stat when determining if a pitcher is good or not. How many times does this argument have to come up. I'm at the front of the line in that agrument, believe me. I'm just pointing out that because of the inconsistency of Wood (and high pitch counts, that's another good point), his ERA isn't as good/valuable to the team as it looks.

run support and the bullpen blowing leads are the two reasons a pitcher with a 3.20 ERA doesn't have more than 14 wins. Yeah, actually, I've always blamed Wood in part for his low win totals. No question about it, this guy has gotten screwed more than his fair share by the bullpen, but he's pretty inconsistent. Wood will have a great game, a good game and crappy game and pretty much alternate the whole season. He's so dominating when he is on that his total ERA remains good, but the inconsistentcy doesn't give him or the team as many opportunites to win the game. When he is off, you can pretty much mark down as a loss.