karenmac

wasn't sure if this was best in the minors forum or here, but couple of things I had seen regarding a couple of folks: from scout.com - http://cubs.scout.com/a.z?s=260&p=9&c=2&cid=689910&nid=3415212&fhn=1 Campusano returned from Tigers additionally, from the "I know one of the girlfriends" rumor-mill - looks like Jake Renshaw has been traded to the Orioles. I'm not sure for whom or what, but hopefully we'll hear the details shortly. Perhaps Nate has heard something from within the organization? have a great weekend everyone :)

I'm still glad to see Sam getting some well deserved attention. He grew up in NH and spent a summer on the Cape, so doesn't suprise me that he's been on Gammons' radar for quite a while... Boy, I really wish I could get out to the AFL this year.

Raisin, was just taking a look at the Venezuelan rosters this morning, and it looks like Cedeno is playing with the Tigres, as we Jonathan Mota. Robinson Chirinos is on the roster for the Navigantes. Don't know that any of them have gotten in a game yet, but thought you might want to know :)

Glad to see Justin Berg doing so well in the AFL. I honestly didn't know what to expect from him coming into the fall. Oh, and CubinNY, they definitely get paid for instructs / AFL. They don't make much of anything during the season, and in order to get a decent AFL team, they'd have to get paid something. Otherwise, they'd go to the winter leagues in Mexico, Venezuela, Dominican, etc. In fact, I'd bet that the AFL is a pretty decently paying gig.

At the very least he's behind Pie and (probably) Patterson. That they sent him to the AFL suggests that they'd like to get an idea as to how far. I'm probably the biggest Sam Fuld fan out there, so I know I'm biased on whether he's got a real shot, but I would say that he's got a better shot than Patterson at this point. He covers the outfield better than Patterson at this point (helps that he's a natural OF vs Patterson playing most of his life at 2B). I think Patterson's future with the big club may have gotten short circuited after getting sent down in September. Being late is a bone-headed thing, and if Lou wanted him back after the playoffs were over, he could have done that but didn't. Originally, I remember hearing that Sam's spot in the AFL this year was a tryout for the 40 man, but now that he's been put on the 40 man, I wonder what the extra exposure is really for...

I thought this announcement I got from SABR might be of interest to those of you in the Washington DC area: ******************************************** Conversation with Baseball Hall of Fame's Tommy Lasorda Time: Wednesday, Nov. 14, 7 p.m, Location: US Department of Interior, 1849 C Street, NW (Main Entrance), Washington, DC Los Angeles Times sports columnist Bill Plaschke will lead a conversation with Hall of Famer Tommy Lasorda, who currently serves as executive senior vice president for the Dodgers. Using video clips to highlight his career, Plaschke hopes to take the audience inside the day-to-day world of baseball past and present from Lasorda's perspective. Through a generous offer by the program coordinator, SABR members may receive The Smithsonian Associates Members rate (instead of general admission price which is an extra $10). That means that SABR members can purchase tickets for $20 each. SABR members can either get them over the phone prior to the event (recommended) but tickets will also be available at the door (in limited supply) for the same $20 price. If SABR members call to get tickets over the phone, they should just mention that they are a SABR member so they can get the discount. For tickets and information call 202.633.3030.

has anyone purchased the NHL Center Ice online package? We can't get Center Ice via our local cable company, so thought this might be a good option (since we can hook the laptop up to our plasma). It's $160ish, so that's not horrible for an entire season, but wanted to get opinions before buying. My husband's a Leafs fan, and I'm a Detroit fan, so the local cable doesn't cut it (even though we get the Blues and the Blackhawks most of the time). Would appreciate reviews if anyone has chosen to try this!

Chris 1405 .811 baseball7897 1375 .816 texascub 1365 .892 NomarSammy 1320 Bob Sanders 1255 .874 rawaction 1260 .828 CubsInNC 1225 .837 Karenmac 1185 .866 Anze Kopitar 1155 .845 SouthSideRyan 1170 .824 Cubbies75 1110 .867 USSoccer 1125 .832 cbbryan 1135 .859 Sherwood921 1115 .861 BleedCubbieBl81 1135 .821 Otis89 1125 .870 Rocket Sauce 1080 .849 coldsteel 1045 .820 Southpaw19 1030 .819 soccer10k 1060 .854 Friendly Confin 1050 .867 oldstyle81 1000 .852 Laura 1005 .888 bukie 980 .800 Derwood 980 .801 CubColtPacer 930 .834 Wheelimus 865 Flames24Rulz 890 .843 Andy 880 .891 vance_the_cubs 885 .839 mhuber92211 795 .890 Mizzou 795 .878 radarluv1 800 .851 NCCubFan 755 .895 Handlebar McSku 775 .920 UMFan83 645 .843 Sandberg23 615 .854 I fixed the scores above to account for the Marquis ERA thing. It changed positioning a bit (notably - Bob falls out of the top 5 - sorry Bob) For those wondering, here was the breakdown: Rocket[tab]+10 Anze[tab]0 Bob[tab]0 Friendly Confines[tab]+10 UM[tab]+20 CubsinNC[tab]+10 CubColtPacer[tab]-10 Handlebar[tab]+20 Andy[tab]+10 sandberg23[tab]+20 Mizzou[tab]0 NCCub[tab]-10 Otis[tab]+20 karenmac[tab]0 baseball7897[tab]+10 Flames24Rulz[tab]+10 Derwood[tab]+20 sherwood[tab]-10 mhuber[tab]-20 USSoccer[tab]0 vance[tab]+20 soccer[tab]+10 cubbies75[tab]-20 texascub[tab]0 oldstyle81[tab]-20 cbbryan[tab]+10 Chris[tab]-20 SSRyan[tab]+20 BleedCubbieBlue81[tab]+20 coldsteel[tab]-10 Laura[tab]0 bukie[tab]+20 rawaction[tab]+20 Southpaw19[tab]-20 NomarSammy[tab]+20 radarluv1[tab]+10 wheelimus[tab]-20

I'm going through baseball withdrawal...enough that I'm thinking about booking a flight to phoenix to catch a few Fall League games *sigh* for those that are really interested in Spring Training: http://www.springtrainingonline.com/features/master_schedule_cactus.htm

dangumbit! I should be expecting this by now, I suppose. Harvey plays a week, strikes out 7 times (doesn't walk once) then gets injured. I'm glad to see Samson doing so well though

I'm not sure if I should be happy or sad to be tied with Bob Sanders. hmmmmm.....

I posted the link to the WGN "highlights" of this here: Regular Premium

not sure how much more than this was actually on the TV special, but for those who didn't catch it the first time, here's what WGN has up

I would guess that the Sean being referred to is Gallagher, not Marshall...

and for you minor league fans out there: TN Smokies: http://www.smokiesbaseball.com/images/pdf/2008Schedule.pdf shouldn't be too much longer before the other teams have their tentative schedules out as well...

After not getting playoff tickets yesterday, I tried to console myself with the thought of going to AZ in March. Here's a calendar of the Cactus League games that have been announced so far: http://www.springtrainingonline.com/features/master_schedule_cactus.htm

wasn't sure which forum to put this in, but wasn't sure the article had been posted: http://mlbplayers.mlb.com/pa/news/article.jsp?ymd=20070921&content_id=2221856&vkey=mlbpa_news&fext=.jsp it's a nice player journal from Kevin Hart - thought it might be of interest.

at least with the WCIU game last week, it was blacked out on both ESPN and mlb.tv for me in central IL. Therfore, since I didn't have WCIU, I was out of luck. It was frustrating to be sure.

I'm pretty happy that Sam Fuld chose to work on Yom Kippur

OK, I've recovered from my Sam Fuld heart attack enough to type again. It was so exciting to see him make such an amazing play. BTW, the catch he made in RF last Saturday afternoon in St Louis was nearly as good. There was just a bit more padding :) I saw him walking out to the bus on Sunday morning and he didn't look terribly sore then, so hopefully the bricks won't create too many bruises. It was wonderful to see him finally get an AB too...pretty sure I remember reading something earlier this week that someone had hung a "Moonlight Graham" sign in his locker. He's got an excellent eye, and was not surprised to see him with the discipline to take a walk. Woot! Now I'm really wishing I could get on a plane and catch a few Arizona Fall League games, as he's one of the folks we're sending. And remember, now that there's a Fuld bandWGN, I'm the originator!

I'm just thrilled to see Jerry doing so well at the major league level. I'll always be a fan of his - a great guy and hope the success continues.

OK, so I couldn't get it down to 10, but did get it down to 11. I didn't include Soto, as I think he'll either stick with the big league club next year or get traded. My thoughts (not in any order) - Petrick - Gallagher - Hart - Pignatiello - Fuld - Holliman - Ceda - Lansford - Roquet - Barney - Donaldson I left 3 guys off that I thought about and didn't include. They were: Patterson - think that Fontenot and DeRosa are great fits at the big league level at 2B. I'm not sure that he's good enough in the outfield. I haven't seen him play outfield, but we seem to have several "natural" outfielders that will be better. Colvin - I think Fuld is better. Granted I have much love for Sam, but have a hard time getting past Colvin's bad BB/K ratio. Over 2007 at AA, Fuld was a little lower in RBI, but he was the lead-off hitter, so not a big shock that he'd have fewer. On the other hand, he had 41 walks and 38 strikeouts over 335 ABs versus Colvin having 5 walks and 54 strikeouts over 246. Atkins - until he went to AA, he would have absolutely made my list. After struggling in TN, though, I'm wondering how good he'll be. I know it was the end of the season, so perhaps it was just fatigue, but I'm a little worried at how well he'll continue to do. He's a great guy but am reserving judgement until Spring Training next year. Just my 2 cents to keep the conversation going!

he's still in the Peoria-area fairly frequently in the off-season. Great to see a great guy with such an accomplishment!

I'm just wondering if it's frequency or something else that makes the BJs *liberal* :wink:

I can understand why this is, but I hope it's not really a mistake. I know hockey has been there and done this and found that the local rivalry thing is advantageous. It's not an accident that teams are moving *to* Quad Cities and Rockford from spots further west. Perhaps the business models are different. It would be a great opportunity to build a great facility that could be shared with Heartland (or IWU or ISE) and a team. Interesting to be sure though!