MSG T

Bowden? There's no way they take him over Colletti. Crap, I just threw up in my mouth :P

Bowden? There's no way they take him over Colletti.

Dump truck, hell, I've got three M88A2s. Those could tow Ft. Knox to where ever his house is. You've got three M88A2's hanging around the house? geesh ... but man, my buddy told me those things can tow a ton. I could probably google up the specs for what it can handle, but I figured I'd ask anyways out of curiosity. The recovery section in my unit has three of them, I don't think Uncle Sam would like me having them at my house. With the winch set up for a 3:1 pull, it can handle around 200-210 tons fairly easily. That's around 400,000 lbs. That enough money for Theo? Even in $1 bills?

Pretty much this. Maybe like. Carl: Man, I love the thought of playing for the Angels. I love LA. I love the warm weather. Torri Hunter is my best buddy. It would be the perfect fit. Theo: Here's $145 million. Carl: Man, I love the thought of playing for the Red Sox. I love Boston. I love cold weather. I can skype Torri. It would be the perfect fit. Hopefully his negotiations with bringing Fielder/Pujols to Chicago are just as effective.

Dump truck, hell, I've got three M88A2s. Those could tow Ft. Knox to where ever his house is.

Let me guess: Baker, LeMahieu, Barney, and Dewitt across the infield with Hill at C. That team would be guaranteed 1st... in the Fecal League standings. At least they'd get the first pick in the draft.

Yes, and yet he didn't shut down a pick we know he absolutely hated. So, maybe by the word active the rumor meant possibly present and moving, but not in the mood to say no to what his scouts were saying about him. I've done the same with the A's system. I remember the Richie Robnetts, Danny Putnams, and Javier Herraras of the world too. Michael Choice...Ryan Flaherty? Michael Choice is a CF possibly RF who projects to hit in the .240-.260 range, walk, and hit with power. Ryan Flaherty? He's also 4 years younger than Flaherty...Grant Green just won the MVP of the Futures Game this year...a lame award I know, but check out the alumni...guys like David Wright and Alfonso Soriano....Tyson Ross has been pretty good and might have good upside as a reliever...we're not talking a dead system here. We're talking about a system that just 10, 12 years ago was one of the most productive in the game, under the very same GM who was and is considered amongst the game's elite GMs. I have alot of trouble believing that this is anything more than a phase for their farm. They have the pitching, it's the bats that need to come around. Personally, I like Brandon Allen and I've always been a Chris Carter fan, so there's a chance bat talent will be coming through soon to go with Weeks. Listen, Billy, we know you want the job, but you're looking desparate. I've seen hardly anyone, anywhere that has said they wouldn't want you as GM, you're just not everyone's #1 choice. Settle down, relax and let things happen. Personnally, I'd have no problem if you were hired, but again, you're not my first choice. Sorry. BTW, love the movie.

Holy crap, I hadn't realized this thread was three years old.

Wait, what? If he wants 5-6 years for his oft injured 35 year old, I wonder what he wants for a 28 year old in the prime of his career who happens to be one of the best hitters in the game. I'm not saying he won't try to get Fielder a longer contract but... Beltran is likely trying to get his last contract, 5-6 years would do that. He probably doesn't want to try to do two or three 1-2 year contracts. Fielder could get a huge 5 year deal, then another huge 5 year deal after that. Just because Fielder is way younger doesn't necessarily mean he'll want a longer deal. He'd probably be more likely to want a little more money in exchange for years knowing he still has a chance at another deal later.

Why? Because they rated an Iowa recruit higher than an Illinois recruit? Yeah, I see difference between them and Rivals all the time, but guess what, I see just as many differences between Rivals and Scout, too. None of them are perfect, and all of them either miss on guys by projecting too low or too high. You seem a bit testy that Iowa just got a really good player.

Considering that silly recruit is rated higher, grades out the same, is taller and heavier, I'm not sure why Leonard would be laughing at him. Leonard was a top 35 player, who has your guy rated that high? Rivals Leonard 31 Woodbury 42 Scout Leonard 5star Woodbury 4star Fail. ESPN had Leonard rated 47 and a 4-star, Woodbury rated 41 and a 4-star. Picking nits, but so are you.

Considering that silly recruit is rated higher, grades out the same, is taller and heavier, I'm not sure why Leonard would be laughing at him.

[expletive] huge Literally. He's 7' 1.25" for those that don't know.

Woodbury is a Hawk!!!

That's kind of what I was thinking. I mean, I can see why a Cards fan would be pissed, but a Cubs fan? Strange. Oh, and whoever was complaining about the Prince HR celebrations, I'd tell him "Hey, Prince, sign for 5/$100mil and I've got your back every time you want to celebrate a HR."

Director of Baseball Operations. But if you have that, what's the point of a GM? Why not just offer one of those three an insane amount of money if they're the guy you want? "Hey Andrew, I'll make you the highest paid GM in baseball by a large margin." If he's who you really want, why not?

I'd be OK with doing something like this... http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/blog/big_league_stew/post/Such-a-tease-Albert-Pujols-taunts-denies-Brewe?urn=mlb-wp17848 if it wins the Cubs a championship. My favorite line

Wait, what? Can't Marlon Byrd or somebody that we're already paying "groom" Brett Jackson? Keeping Johnson will pay off as long as he can groom Brett Jackson into a .347/.385/.539 line offensively. I don't want Reed Johnson grooming Brett Jackson to have an OBP 40 points higher than his average, it will mean he has given up all his patience at the plate. Brett Jackson is going to be the second coming of Jesus. Reed Johnson should feel privileged he'll get the opportunity to witness him play I agree with you if his BA is .250, but I'll take it if Jackson is batting .347. If Johnson can groom Jackson to have a .438 BABIP every season, I'd take it. Since he can't, let Johnson walk.

What kind of money changing hands would everyone be good with if they exchanged Z for Burnett. From what Cots showed, the Cubs would saved $2.5 mil next year, but be on the hook for an extra $16.5 in 2013. Basically, how much would the Yankees have to kick in to do that deal? They've been similar this year, both have a WAR of 1.1, but I'd rather not be on the hook for $16.5 for Burnett the following year. If the Yanks kicked in enough that it evened the money out, looks like $7.5 mil, would that be enough? I still don't think I'd do it, I'd rather have Z's money coming off after next year. Just wondering what anyone else thought.

Here's the thing about Miles, though...if he had been the Miles of '04-'08, tons of Cubs fans would have loved him, or at least tolerated him. You're right, people are going to hate a crappy player. regardless of skin color...but mediocrity goes a long way to inexplicably justifying a white player in too many fans' eyes. Mediocrity plus affordability. Most of the biggest hatred goes to mediocre or worse players that account for a significant portion of the payroll. True, though personally I think even then many mediocre white players often get more leeway before they're looked at as "too expensive" or as a waste of money as opposed to many non-white players. Say you have two players with rather generic personalities making $5 million; I'd think that if they put up similar mediocre numbers the white player would likely be cut more slack with certain fans and members of the media than the non-white player. Note that this isn't any kind of statement of fact; it's simply a belief of mine. I was going to point out Cedeno in 2006 and Theriot in 2007, but when I looked at their numbers, they weren't a close as I had thought. Granted Theriot wasn't good that season, but he was still much better than Cedeno was the year before.

Gooney, I agree, except for the part about Grabow. People can't stand him because of that ridiculous contract and the fact that he's sucked for most of his time with the Cubs. it's had very little to do with perceived hustle or attitude like it was for many of the others.

For the most part, Lee didn't seem to have an issue. We have one Designated Scapegoat at a time. He wasn't around long enough for it to be him. How long does it take? He was here for what, 6 1/2 seasons? If he were going to be one, there was plenty of time in there for it to happen. I'd say the problem with many of them, Juan Pierre and Jacque Jones in particular, wasn't so much their performance, but how they were sold or what they were sold to be. If you are made out to be a power hitting, middle of the order hitter when you're not (like Milton Bradley), and then you aren't immediately performing like that, you become a target. Granted, Bradley had other issues, but it started when he didn't come in and start bashing HR every other game. I'm not trying to completely deflect their responsibility in the way things turned out, but the Cubs as an organization didn't help matters with many of the players that had issues. Z is just the latest example. Was his behavior unacceptable? Absolutely, but the Cubs haven't handled it in the best manner either, at least publicly. You can probably go back and find similar things with all of the players that have had issues. Could the Cubs have handled things better in regards to Jones or Bradley or even Prior? Couldn't they put to rest at least some of the criticism directed at Aramis? Maybe it wouldn't completely change the way things turned out with any of them, but in many instances it sure looked like the Cubs did exactly what they shouldn't have done.

Are you subtracting the money owed Z from the amount coming off the books? If you are, you shouldn't, they'll pay him anyway, his money isn't due to come off until after 2012. Now, if they pick up Aramis' option, then that money would get subtracted. Cot's has Dempster down at $14 next season, not as an option. According to Cots, money coming off this year. Aramis - $14.6 ($2 mil buyout) Kosuke - $14.5 Pena - $10 Grabow - $4.8 Samardzija - $3.3 (opt) Wood - $1.5 Johnson - $.9 Silva - $7.25 ($2 mil buyout) (I think I read it correctly) total - $52.85 mil That doesn't include raises or arbitration, just expiring contracts.

Ooo. 1B - Fielder 2B - LeMahieu SS- Castro 3B - Pujols RF - Byrd CF - Jackson LF - Does it really matter? Hell, DeWitt, Flaherty, Campana, Baker, Montanez, some bum walking down Clark. Someone needs to hit 8th C - Soto/Castillo I'd take that. Won't happen, but Fielder/Pujols hitting 3/4 would be worth the price of admission, all $96 for an upper deck ticket.

Maybe I'm remembering incorrectly, but didn't he have Sandberg as a coach for part of a season, also?