RichHillIsABeast

Careful or you'll get a spankin'.

If I was the Cubs prospects, I'd ask him what he drinks. Whatever it takes to improve your game.

Good stuff, Maynard.

That sucks. It was fun watching him mow down hitters. Yocum recommended TJS, huh? I guess it was worse than the Twins' docs let on.

Burrell for Benitez? Man to think if we had a crappy arse "closer" (coughsAlfonsecacoughs) we could get Burrell. Armondo Benitez in Philly? Oh boy....THAT should be fun for all parties involved. This guy couldn't pitch in NY, what makes Gillick think he can pitch in Philly? Ryan Dempster wants to know what team you followed last season. The Cubs. But I was talking about the recent closer. I was talking about the past closer. Aha! :wink:

Burrell for Benitez? Man to think if we had a crappy arse "closer" (coughsAlfonsecacoughs) we could get Burrell. Armondo Benitez in Philly? Oh boy....THAT should be fun for all parties involved. This guy couldn't pitch in NY, what makes Gillick think he can pitch in Philly? Ryan Dempster wants to know what team you followed last season.

That's ridiculous. If you are up by 2+ runs late in the game and Ortiz (or whoever is being subbed for) just batted in the last 1/2 inning, putting a plus defender out there is the smart move.

Check this link out. http://matsuzaka.blogspot.com/ It has some interesting stuff on the Yankees/Matsuzaka from ... a Japanese tabloid! 8)

Geez, we might even have a shot at landing him at this point. Kuroda seems like he may/may not be staying in Japan, so maybe the Cubs will submit a serious bid for Matsuzaka instead of going for that rare 4th starter. 8)

Nope, he's a FA after '07 Wells is a nice player, but I don't like him for our circumstances. He's an elite CF, and we need an elite position player somewhere. We currently have no center fielder. Who knows what Pie will ever do in his career? His 2004 and 2005 weren't elite. Unless he's actually turned the corner offensively, I'd pass.

Nope, he's a FA after '07 Wells is a nice player, but I don't like him for our circumstances. Why are we trying to upgrade CF with Pie in the wings? Anyone? We need a platoon partner for Jones. That should have been done last year. I have no clue if Dusty nixed that idea, or if the organization is just blind to how hopeless he is against RHP. We need starting pitching in the worst way. We need a MIF. We need a bench full of non scrubs. Yes, Freddie Bynum, that means you. Why trade away prospects for a non pressing need when our farm system isn't that deep to begin with? I hope this rumor is bogus. You know they fly fast and furious this time of the year and up through ST anyway.

:lol: I'd like to dedicate everything I've done to Nike. Without them I couldn't get from point A to point B. Show me the money.

1B Mark Teixeira 2B Mark Grudzielanek 3B Eric Chavez SS Derek Jeter OF Torii Hunter OF Ichiro Suzuki OF Vernon Wells C Ivan Rodriguez P Kenny Rogers

I don't think he predicted much of anything with his list last year.

Pardon me for assuming you had another account previously. The assumption you made was that I was banned, not that I had an account previously. I did have an account and I deleted it. I was not banned and no, I will not tell you who I was. Some of my personal info was on that account and I enjoy my anonymity on message boards. That's why I deleted it.

I didn't do that. Another poor assumption.

I would hope not. I haven't seen any posts from him that warrant that. What about this one? What's with ppl and their assumptions today? I could have been lurking a long time before joining. So maybe I actually have a clue what was said here long before I signed up. And no, I wasn't banned.

Not true - on both counts. I'm just going by what on your avatar. And it is true. Any proof? possibly ive lost my ability to read numbers, but it clearly says "joined: 21 aug 2006" right under your avatar pic It's not my first account. :wink: Also, he said "Aug 6th," so at least you can read numbers. He can't. :lol:

Not true - on both counts. I'm just going by what on your avatar. And it is true. Any proof?

Not true - on both counts.

I agree. People are being way too anal about that comparison and missing goony's very valid point because of it. There's nothing anal about it. There's a huge difference. The insurance that Aramis had makes him unlikely to sign another contract unless Hendry just felt like giving money away. You only sign another deal if it's better than what you have (more money and years). Ramirez had over 30MM coming his way and DLee had nothing guaranteed. You think Hendry was going to offer him more than 3/33M he had left at that point (not to mention the option tacked on at the end)? Get real. BTW, I don't remember having heard or read of anyone saying we should get Ramirez to sign another contract pre-empting the use of that opt out clause (talking before ST, not after his hot streak). NO ONE. 20/20 hindsight is great. I do remember loads of people complaining about that opt out clause. People saw what was coming. Aramis would play his 2 years, opt for FA if he played well, and get more money. The only way he stays with us for the life of that contract is if he underperforms. Crappy contract for the Cubs. Great for Ramirez.

You clearly don't understand what comparable means. It does not mean exactly the same. I brought up Lee because of the statement that free agents never sign early. Comparable? Yes. A good comparison? No.

Put me down in the "NO!!" column.

You said there was a need for guys like Macias and Bynum. And you ridiculed the notion that there was no need for such players. There are 8 specific positions, but no need for a player who can play all 8. 2 backup OFers, one who can play CF in a pinch, 2 backup infielders, 1 backup catcher. And a 6th player should be around as a wild card, hopefully somebody who can really hit. You don't need to be 3 deep at 2B. There is no numerical necessity for guys who can play all over the field. I never said there was a need for guys like Macias and Bynum. You seem to be reading what you want to read instead of what I write. I said there is a need for positional flexibility off the bench. That person(s) needs to be able to contribute offensively, like Figgins. Macias and Bynum suck, both offensively and defensively. There is little if any value in having them on the bench. Figgins shouldn't be thrown in the same trashcan with those two. He can field all his positions well. He's fast and can nab a bag (pinch run). He can get on base at a reasonable level (better than many of our starters, which is a shame) and take that extra base. I'm not enamoured of Figgins as a regular, unless all we had to do is pay his salary. Yes, there is a numerical necessity for having a flexible bench player. You proved it yourself. You want 2 backup IF and there are 4 IF positions (not including catcher).

I'd prefer it if the out clause wasn't an issue. It would have been nice if it wasn't included. However, it's presence does not mean the Cubs had to let it get to the point where he used it. I doubt either side was willing to talk. Ramirez was sitting pretty and looking to get more money by opting out. That was clear from the moment the contract was signed. There was no incentive for Ramirez to talk to the Cubs about an extension or new contract leading up to his opt out year.