stitchface

I think it will be a hitters park June-August and a pitchers park April, May and September/Oct. The wind and warm weather are going to play some interesting tricks on that park. It does look like it's going to be an amazing place. I think that's a competitive disadvantage - I would prefer a park that consistently plays either for hitters or pitchers so you can mold a team to that park. This is of course from a Cubs fan whose team plays in one of the worst stadiums in terms of variability.

someone else was saying its good. hard to trust the opinions of college kids sometimes so its good to hear it from you. Has to wait for PPV though! I'd give it a B/B+, so maybe 'quite good' was too strong. In fact, renting or PPV'ing would be just fine. Happy belated B-day to Halla, thanks for the pictures. She's adorable. She looks to be in training for something (wrestlin' the cat, pushing the stroller, using the car seat as a sprinter's gate...) :) Yes, she is also in sleep deprivation training - only she is training me. That may be useful in 14 years or so. You would think she would stop moving while she was sleeping but not really. How's life back in Illinois? You adjusted to cold yet? That's the stage 4 REM kicking in, literally. It's okay I suppose, I definitely miss being out west. I miss the hour flights to Vegas, the weather, the golf, and especially the manner in which the people drive their vehicles. Other things I don't miss at all, but that's for another time. Be nice. If you didn't miss them at all, why mention them? The stage 4 is usually 5-7 AM so that sounds right. You're not doing the med school thing though, right? I do like the west. How's Bri? Still aging steaks? DJ you should stay in touch better! heh, there are some mountain goats still looking for you!

someone else was saying its good. hard to trust the opinions of college kids sometimes so its good to hear it from you. Has to wait for PPV though! I'd give it a B/B+, so maybe 'quite good' was too strong. In fact, renting or PPV'ing would be just fine. Happy belated B-day to Halla, thanks for the pictures. She's adorable. She looks to be in training for something (wrestlin' the cat, pushing the stroller, using the car seat as a sprinter's gate...) :) Yes, she is also in sleep deprivation training - only she is training me. That may be useful in 14 years or so. You would think she would stop moving while she was sleeping but not really. How's life back in Illinois? You adjusted to cold yet?

bring your suntan lotion - looks like sunshine possible snow late in the week.

someone else was saying its good. hard to trust the opinions of college kids sometimes so its good to hear it from you. Has to wait for PPV though! I'm waiting for cable. Just saw King Kong the other day, first theater trip since........... I don't even remember. I think our last theatre trip was shrek - or possibly one of the LOTR movies (it must have been LOTR because I never would have sat through any of those at home). maybe this will help . . . http://big.snow.com/snow3/index.html

I'm bored, in love with Scarlett, desperate for opening day, ready to go on vacation tomorrow. How about you. bored? How could you be bored? There are still people who think Adam Dunn is Sammy Sosa of 2005.

someone else was saying its good. hard to trust the opinions of college kids sometimes so its good to hear it from you. Has to wait for PPV though!

But it's not that these guys weren't signed due to lack of funds. They weren't signed due to lack of intelligence. How many scenarios have you seen drawn up in the Transactions forum that involve a superstar FA being signed/traded for fitting well within the confines of our budget. It's just standard Cub procedure to sign 3 mediocrities instead of 1 real live ball-player. I think until you establish a core this may not be that bad a strategy. I do believe this is the source of much angst on this forum though - the Cubs finally have the core together and they have failed to make the big move to get them over the top (aside from Nomar in 2004 which just didn't work out). This team does seem to be one stud short of a championship right now though so why not make the move? Go get Dunn. Go get Abreu or Burrell. Instead we get Pierre - sure he'll help but he isn't a difference maker.

its not always clear the big names are good signings though. beltran's deal was probably not a great deal for instance. You'd like them to pursue Vlad or someone like that for certain. Particularly now when a top FA like that could put them over the top. I don't know the answer to this, but what team has signed a top free agent in the last five years and won the world series? Schilling I guess could be an argument (or was that a trade?). The Angels won before they signed Vlad didn't they?

The way the payroll has risen considerably over the past 5 years makes me think there's a lot more involved from the Trib side other than maximizing profits. They could have easily held steady on the payroll heading into '04 and still sold the place out just about every game. Same with '05. the payroll is an investment in future profits. I'm not really arguing that point though. my point is that they are not demanding a return on their investment in terms of WS championships. there is no Boss getting enraged by not winning.

I think I follow what you are saying. my point is just that the cubs management is not being judged on wins but on profit. if they were as incompetent in a more typical business, they likely wouldn't be profitable. We are doomed to mediocrity because there is no one demanding excellence.

In an effort to get this thread back on track... Does anyone else think giving up Pie, Dope and two pitchers who could be Williams and Guzman or Marshall is overpaying? Dunn is a great power hitter who hits from the left side and he gets on base a lot, but he isn't Bobby Abreu at age 25. Abreu was/is the complete package that Pie could be. Dunn's OPS is elite, but the rest of his game is average or slightly above average. Is OPS such an all-determining statistic? Pie's ceiling is higher than Dunn's though Dunn is realizing his potential at the moment while Pie is still somewhat of a risk. So Pie for Dunn straight up might be fair if both GMs feel like rolling the dice. Or Dunn for a solid starter like Williams and a top pitching prospect like Hill/Guzman/Marshall would be fair, but not both of those offers combined plus Dopirak. What do the rest of you think? I disagree that Pie's ceiling is higher than Dunn. I doubt Pie becomes a career 900+ OPS. Pie will be a better defender and if he plays CF he has some value because of that being a more demanding position, but I don't really see Pie has having a higher ceiling. There's no way you get Dunn for Pie straight up. One is a proven top of the league offensive performer. The other hasn't proven anything above AA. While OPS may not be an all-determining statistic, it's close when measuring offensive production. If you want a more encompassing offensive stat, try RC. Dunn was 12th in the NL in runs created in 2005. He trailed Lee, Pujols, Bay, Giles, Delgado, Cabrera, Abreu, Kent, Ensberg, Wright, and Burrell. We could have had Giles, but passed. While Abreu may appear to be a more complete player, he is much older than Dunn. Dunn has yet to enter his prime. While Abreu will experience a decline in the coming years, Dunn is likely to get better. Dunn was 10th in the NL in win shares which does take into account all of his contributions. This places him ahead of Abreu. Is Dunn worth a bunch of maybes....yes and it really doesn't matter the ceiling of those maybes. None of that group are can't miss, a-level prospects.[/url] Burrell should have been a Cub target.

In an effort to get this thread back on track... Does anyone else think giving up Pie, Dope and two pitchers who could be Williams and Guzman or Marshall is overpaying? Dunn is a great power hitter who hits from the left side and he gets on base a lot, but he isn't Bobby Abreu at age 25. Abreu was/is the complete package that Pie could be. Dunn's OPS is elite, but the rest of his game is average or slightly above average. Is OPS such an all-determining statistic? Pie's ceiling is higher than Dunn's though Dunn is realizing his potential at the moment while Pie is still somewhat of a risk. So Pie for Dunn straight up might be fair if both GMs feel like rolling the dice. Or Dunn for a solid starter like Williams and a top pitching prospect like Hill/Guzman/Marshall would be fair, but not both of those offers combined plus Dopirak. What do the rest of you think? I think the odds of Pie ever being better than Dunn are pretty small.

and these people would be fired if the team wasn't making a profit. since they are making a profit, they get to keep their jobs. no doubt hendry MacPhail want to win - lets not confuse tribune corporation with the cubs management though.

2 million in legal fees already and they got nothing.

and?

I have to disagree with the thread title somewhat. Dunn would look great at the plate though. And trotting around the bases.

OSU wins at Michigan.

about zero is not zero. its slightly greater than zero but not much. Just give it up that zero was an exaggeration and we'll be good to go. Many great people have admitted such tales and still held their stature. no, I said about zero. it means what it means. y'all are trying to make an argument where there isn't one.

about zero is not zero. its slightly greater than zero but not much.

how many ABs for each? Dwight Smith was the worst baserunner I have ever seen btw.

what happened to gary hughes? Was he eliminated based on NSBB commentary?

that's a shocker! Illinois basically has to win on the road because of that loss. If they're good enough, they'll get it done.

misery loves company - Florida goes down to USC at home.

I doubt it happens as well, but zero means you are giving that no chance of happening. I'd give them better odds than that. Our 6th option is Ponson/Reyes depending on which one starts the season in the pen. I'm guessing Ponson will start in the pen. Our 7th is probably Brett Tomko Jr. *er* Adam Wainright. I am in complete agreement with you. All I was saying is that pre 2004, nodoby was giving them much of a chance and they dominated. I'm just trying to get you to admit that in addition to them having a chance of finishing sub 90 wins, they have a chance of winning 100 again. I think they'll be right in the middle of that, but either is possible. I think about zero is a correct analysis of those odds considering who is on the staff. Given normal luck, the Cardinals will likely lose a couple starters for some time this year. Haven't Duncan and LaRussa been known to exhaust a pitcher or two?