Backtobanks

Sullivan comments suggests that he thinks ARam has been our best hitter and that's why he should bat 3rd. As for those of you who think Marquis as DH was tongue in cheek, I certainly didn't get that impression from the comments he wrote in the article.

Paul Sullivan proved his incompetence again today by suggesting that the set lineup Lou ought to use would bat ARam 3rd, Floyd 4th, and Lee 5th with Marquis being used as the DH in the AL cities. Marquis is a good hitter for a pitcher, but he shouldn't be used over Ward or Murton. He wrote that Lou could save Ward for pinch hitting later in the game??????????

You can't even make a decent team when you combine the rosters of the White Sox and the Cubs. Putting the best players from both rosters together wouldn't even win the NL Central.

The best any team in the NL Central has done for the last 10 games is 4-6. Boy, if we could just play .500 ball we could win the division by the end of August.

Many of the Hendry-haters would have acquired Abreu, Drew, Lugo, Zito, and B.J. Ryan and still think the GM's job is easy. As a GM, you have to pay inflated market value or else you are accused of not making any moves.

Certainly we would keep Lee, Ramirez, Soriano, and Barrett. That's would be a good balance of Vets and Youngsters. I don't think Derosa should be starting but used as a supersub. Put Patterson in there. Jones should be gone so Murton can play everyday. Ken The real problem is that the NL Central is so bad that the Cubs think they're still in contention. Trading Barrett and Zambrano for the top prospects from some other team would be a start. Obviously, Pie ought to be starting. Of course, the other problem is that going young never offers any guarantees either. After waiting 100 years, most people don't want to wait three or four more years for a possibility they might do better.

I think it's time for Lou to really go off on someone or the whole team. This B.S. about "we're all trying" and "we have to do better" isn't working. Enough being nice.

I've always liked Barrett and listened to critics complaining about his defense. I must admit that this is the first year I've really paid attention to his catching ability and he is terrible. Umpires must hate calling pitches behind him. It seems like 6 or 7 pitches a game that are borderline strikes go right past him. Forget pitches in the dirt. I appreciate his offense, but his defense is atrocious.

Problem is, there really isnt anybody out there like that in spots we could use the help i.e ss. You're never positive that they're available, but two names come to mind: Arod and Tejada.

On CLTV's Sports Page yesterday, one of the panelists thought that Piniella would move up to GM next year and hire Girardi as manager. Thoughts??

Why is it so diffucult for so many folks to understand that *both* of the following can be true, simultaneously: * Josh Hancock was incredibly stupid, foolish, reckless, and blameworthy; * Other people besides Josh Hancock contributed to the accident, and might bear a portion of the blame. Why are these concepts viewed as mutually exclusive? They're not. I'm surprised the dad didn't go after everyone who helped build the road.

Quit complaining, we're gaining on the Brewers.

You might have a point about Derosa. I'm not defending Jones, but his salary is not the big problem. As for Lilly, Hendry paid the going rate for a free agent starter during this offseason. The bottom line is that the overwhelming majority of players (not just Cubs) are paid more than they're worth.

81 mph isn't bad for a knuckleball pitcher. Oh, he's not a knuckleball pitcher. My bad.

OF defense would be a disaster, but a platoon of Pena/Floyd could really put up some power numbers.

Trans, you have the right idea as to what I was seeking in this discussion. Many of the posters suggested trades that wouldn't make the Cubs winners this year or next, but possibly further down the line. I'm not sure your suggestions would put them in the playoffs, but it would certainly give the team a new look. The proposed roster looks like they could contend in 2008.

After discussing the pros and cons of Hendry, what specific moves can be made to make the 2007 Cubs (or no later than 2008) a playoff team. What realistic trades, signings, and callups can be made? Is it really too late for 2007? Can a championship team be put together for 2008? You get to be the new GM with complete control and a budget in the $100 - $120 million range.

I totally agree. People work in hotter environments every day for $12 per hour as opposed to millions per year. There is still 24 hours between games whether you're playing days or nights. The real reason is probably that after the day games, they go out and party half the night.

"But I'd argue the Soriano signing response was mostly positive. There were a few that were 100% against, but a heck of a lot more that were 100% for it, and even more who were more or less excited about the acquisition, if only fearful of the financial impact. And of course, most everybody responded happily when Dusty was let go and Neifi was traded. The Greg Maddux signing was widely accepted as very good for the team, even if people like myself pointed out it was an awful lot of money for a more or less average pitcher. And the Todd Walker signing was, I believe, roundly praised as a smart, affordable price to pay for a nice piece to add to the team. " Using these few examples proves my point. So many posters have an opinion, but include a disclaimer. We all loved Soriano, but we didn't like the contract. If Soriano succeeds, we were right. If Soriano fails, we were right because Hendry spent too much. People liked getting rid of Dusty, but Piniella wasn't the fan's choice. If the team succeeds, we were right about Dusty. If they fail, we were right because we wanted Girardi. My point is that Hendry can't play both sides of the fence. If he makes a move, it was for the wrong player, it cost too much in trade, or the contract was too expensive. Would this team be better with some of the trade proposals and free agent signings mentioned at NSBB? I'm sure many posters would answer affirmatively, but I'm not so sure. Right now there's posters suggesting trading a ton of promising young players for Abreu, who looks like he has aged poorly.

that would be quite cool Would we have enough to give them in return though? I'd love to have Tex on the team. One would be free agent for another......Zambrano for Tex

So you don't have a problem with the team being under .500 during his tenure? The bottom line is Hendry has done a terrible job putting together a ballclub. Yes I have a problem with the team being under .500 during Hendry's tenure. I also have a problem with all of the "experts" who post critcizing every move he makes (or doesn't) make. All of the "experts" don't criticize every move he makes. Although when you have one of the highest paid teams in baseball, and have a sub .500 record, obviously more often than not your moves are going to deserve criticism. If he made moves that couldn't be criticized, this team would win 95 games every year. Name the last move Hendry made that wasn't followed by dozens of pages of posts (most of them critical) by all of us "experts." Actually, there are dozens of pages of posts (mostly critical) of the moves that Hendry didn't make. He does deserve criticism for the poor record of this team, but I do get upset by the "damned if he does and damned if he doesn't" attitude on a daily basis. Again, all of us have hindsight and the right to change our minds in our favor.

No way for Eckstein. I don't get including Ortiz.....very good hitter, but not legendary.

So you don't have a problem with the team being under .500 during his tenure? The bottom line is Hendry has done a terrible job putting together a ballclub. Yes I have a problem with the team being under .500 during Hendry's tenure. I also have a problem with all of the "experts" who post critcizing every move he makes (or doesn't) make.

The bottom line is if Hendry had gotten Drew or Abreu, everyone would be saying that he needs to be fired. As I keep saying, Hendry's job looks real easy to all of us sitting in front of our computers and not having to deal with other GMs and crazy agents with outrageous salary demands. Whether we blame Hendry or not, he will be critized by a certain faction of people whether he makes a move or he doesn't. My biggest complaint involves the money spent on long-term contracts, but many of them are the current going rate of free agents and free agents to be.

Looking at the list, the title ought to be the 10 most overpaid players. I think most of those players would drop off the list if you cut their salary in half.