I've been pretty consistent. I blame MacPhail, Hendry and Baker. And the standings don't exactly disagree with me. The Pittsburgh Pirates (yes, THE pittsburgh pirates) have won 1 less game than the Cubs. If Jacque Jones hit 52 homers and drove in 400 RBI this week, it wouldn't change the fact that past performance did not dictate giving a mediocre OFer a 3 year deal to play in what should be one of the most offensively productive spots in the field. Period! Do I have a personal grudge against Jacque Jones? Absolutely not. Do others on this site have a personal grudge against Jacque Jones? Who cares? I hope Jacque Jones becomes the greatest baseball player that ever lived. It's NOT Jacque Jones that people have an issue with (unless he continues running bases like Moises Alou and goes back to hitting like Neifi Perez). It's the guy who gave him a 3 year deal that people have issues with. And the Cubs establishment of their 95m payroll in 5th place in the standings really doesn't make people want to get excited about Jacque Jones. Though I do wish him continued success. What's the difference? If he is playing this well, I think we should mark it as a solid signing for Hendry. Jones was part of a very mediocre free agent outfielder class this year, so he was going to get paid. Be thankful we didn't get Encarnacion or Wilson instead. So if he doesn't produce in the last 2 years of his contract, is it still a solid signing? He's playing this well now...and that's great. But many of us don't expect that to continue over a 3 year period. That makes it not a solid signing.