RonnieWooWooSanto

Assuming Maddux was to agree to a trade then maybe a team would be willing to pay rather heavily for Maddux. 1. Post season experience. 2. Proven winner 3. A name that fans know and would embrace (i.e. appeasing the fans) GMs have paid for these type of guys in the past. Pierre....I honestly have no idea if other GMs value him or not.

Hendry doesn't get the patience at the plate debacle. He says they're working on that in the minors, but the minors isn't the overall problem with the patience. It's Dusty, Clines, and Matthews instructing aggressiveness. (SEE MURTON)

He is still hoping for a "run" before the deadline. This team stinks. They couldn't make a run even in the weak NL.

First Aramis not hustling question.

Really? Most of the posts I've read are in the camp of, "I do not like this deal, but we're going to have to wait and see." Neither Bray nor Majewski is spectacular, but they should improve the Reds bullpen, which has been their downfall this season. However, the Reds lost a lot offensively. Lopez and Wagner have been struggling, but Kearns has terrific value. Denorfia sounds like a decent young player, but he's not as good as Kearns. The Reds overpaid for decent relievers. The Nationals made out really well in this deal. Should be fun to see what they get for Soriano and/or Guillen. I think there is a transition in the thread from immediately disliking it into justifying it to their benefit since there is nothing they can do but accept it. Edit to add quotes from REdZone.com Here's a few of the ones I read in favor of the trade........

At the moment, there are 339 users online at RedsZone.com. From reading the final page of the thread in regards to this trade, it seems that overall they like the move. A couple reasons that I read were that it improves their bullpen and simply because they have a GM willing to make bold moves.

I'm pretty sure the main reason is that Jim still thinks it was a good signing and that Rusch can help the team. I do not think he believes it was a mistake but just doesn't want to admit it. If that is the case, then he probably did take a look at Ponson.

You might be right. How about $120M plus replacing MacPhail and Hendry with guys that knew what they were doing? Now that combination would get you results. Hey, I'd love to see what this team could do with $25m worth of talent added on. But it's all about who is handing out the dough. As BBB pointed out, you'd probably just see Neifi and Rusch with longer and bigger deals, plus a few more expensive relievers. It's all about the brains behind the decisions. Money helps, a lot. But my biggest concern is that the Trib sees just how much of a waste spending more can be, and they cut back with the next guy who comes in. I don't want them to spend good money after bad, because that can only have bad results. I think the most beneficial thing the Cubs could do in terms of money would be a willingness to dump players ala Ortiz in Arizona. Granted Russ Ortiz is an extreme case. But, there is no reason that Rusch should still be on the team. Money can be the only reason and the reluctance to release him and admit being wrond to re signing him.

Hasn't worked out for Rusch.

Hopefully WGN radio is on a 5 second delay. My virgin is ears don't wanted to be subjected to vulgarities that should ensue. :lol:

I tried going to RedsZone using the link from here. I wanted to see their reaction. However, that site is not working. I think it might have imploded when word of the trade got out.

Has Royce Clayton played on every MLB team yet? {As Ozzie Smith shakes head}

I'm not claiming they don't spend. I just think that the situation today often clouds fans' perceptions about how it's been in the past. They dwarf the competition today much more so than in the past. I'm not so sure the Cubs should spend as much as Boston. A) Boston is the only team in all of New England. It's a huge fish in a gigantic pond, the only fish in fact. The Cubs share a city with another team, and are surrounded by rivals in neighboring states. B) Northeast money blows Chicago money out of the water. There is just a much greater pool of cash to play with there. When you look at the money available to the Cubs market, I believe their rightful place is about 4th-7th on the list of teams that "should" spend big money. NYY, NYM and BOS all have greater resources to play with. LAA, LAD and SFG can and should all compete with the Cubs for the next spot. Valid points but I still don't why the Red Sox payroll should be close to 50% more than the Cubs. Note: I am assuming the Red Sox are around $135M and the Cubs are around $90M. I can't believe the Red Sox squeeze more direct ballpark-related related revenues out of Fenway than the Cubs get for attendance, parking, signage, roof top access, etc. Also, with a national fan base, the Cubs memorabila sales revenue has to be close to the Red Sox. Now, maybe one of you kids in Fantasy Land (i.e., college) with a lot of time on your hands can figure out now much more televison revenue the Red Sox get than the Cubs and how much higher the Red Sox Franchise is valued - I bet it's not 50% higher than the Cubs. The Red Sox opening day payroll was 120.1 million and the Cubs was 94.5 million. And the Red Sox have to keep up with the Yankees. The Yanks openining day was 194.6 million. So the Yanks spend close to 75 million more and yet they trail the Red Sox in the division. So there shouldn't be such a huge discrepancy between the Cubs record versus the Red Sox record considering the difference in payroll is around 25 million. Especially considering the national league is the weaker of the leagues. Edit to add: payoll numbers came from Cot's

Sorry Jim talking in the third person, only makes you look like a bigger jerk. "Oh yeah!. Jimmy's been watching you....you're just Jimmy's type."

I'm a proponent of change. Plus, you always get to see Dusty in your sig. :lol:

I'm hoping it's former Northwestern Wildcat, Mr. Mark Loretta. That would be great, Hoops! :D Is Mark Loretta a FA after this year? I think the Red Sox might have a club option on him for next season. Just to throw it out there.......Adam Kennedy is a free agent and I'm guessing he is as good as gone with Howie Kendrick in the minors.

I think they figure that a baseball fan will choose to watch their national game if they don't have the option of watching their favortite team. Which is completely absurd. Why not just show all the games at once, like the NFL's Sunday ticket. My only choices on Saturdays are Mets or Yankees games, and I have never watched any of their Saturday games in the more than a decade that I've lived here. It draws away viewers. Well, the thinking is that they would rather have you boycotting the FOX broadcast rather than having the option to view another game on another channel(even a local channel). They don't want another MLB game on because it then provides an opportunity for viewers to flip around the the stations and miss commercials on the FOX broadcast. Granted you'll probably still flip around even if there isn't another MLB game, but it does make the situattion more appealing to advertisers. They recognize that MLB/FOX is doing the best they can from having their viewers miss those advertisements.

I agree on Kottaras, but he's not worth Aramis. I'd offer them Maddux and others for Kottaras. Kottaras looks pretty good in the little bit I saw of him in the Futures game. I know the Padres need hitting. How is there hitting at the catcher postion going.....Piazza/Bard? Would Barrett interest them for Kottaras? Granted the Cubs would need to find a catcher(this year and next) until Kottaras is ready.

Yep...playing time for younger guys to see what you have, instead of playing older guys because they're your "horses". I don't buy that argument. Dusty has been playing the "younger guys" to see what they have. Unfortunately, they were not quite ready to be played. Tell that to Angel Guzman, who essentially was a spectator for two weeks during his last call-up. Oh come on, it wasn't two weeks. It was longer. You could probably add Restovich and Theriot to that list for the periods they were up on the major league squad. If Dusty doesn't want to play them keep them in triple A.

It's not an attempt to salvage the season, it's a message to everyone involved with this organization that the failures of the staff will not be tolerated. I would think Cub fans should be in favor of Baker's return this year and even possibly an extention for next season. The longer Hendry stands by Baker the more he jeopardizes his own job. Granted he did receive the two year extention, but if the Cubs continue to flounder this year and again next season then Hendry's job has to be in question even though there would be a remaining season on his contract. Worse comes to worse for Cubs' fans.....Hendry is around for the entire two year extention. He'll bring in another "old school" manager not unlike Baker and the Cubs will continue playing grizzled veterans. Unless Hendry changes his own baseball philosophy, the Cubs will continue to lose At that point, his services wouldn't/shouldn't be retained. Point being.....I would think a Cubs' fan could deal with a couple more years of failure if there was a chance for a regime change. If it got to this point a lot is on MacPhail's lap to hire the correct GM. But, I would think gambling on MacPhail in this regard would be better than gambling on the Cubs to win with Hendry as GM.

I can hear the echoes of laughter from WSI emanating throughout the world wide web.

Using Cora as the hitman......genius!!!

You forgot to mention Furcal ramming into Lee and breaking his wrist. A few year back, but Mueller and the injury in St. Louis could be included.

What did he do to Jones' ankle?? It has been refuted. But, it was said in the fight between the Cubs and Sox that Cora was under the pile biting Jones' ankle. Dempster said it to mike North, but I believe even Jones said it was false. How that started I have no idea?

Joey Cora is a thug. First Jacque's ankle :lol: and now clubbing people with bats. :lol: