Backtobanks
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Everything posted by Backtobanks
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At least it's refreshing to see a move made quickly, rather than the Dusty philosophy of letting a horrid player like Neifi start game after game with nothing being done about it. Agreed. I just hope Theriot continues his hot streak and makes it where the only part of Izturis' uniform that gets dirty is the seat of his pants from sitting on the bench. Hot streak? His line is .188/.188/.188 in the last 7 games. He probably needs a day or two off. I love Theriot, but you do wonder if he is cut out to be an everyday player. He seemed perfect in the super-sub role where he could come into the game and make something happen. A lot of players like that (Freel, Figgins, etc.) end up not looking so great when they become everyday players.
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My only comment about the Langerhans trade is that there are teams out there desperate for an OF (Jones).
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After hearing Kaspar & Brenley talk about the situation, it's starting to sound like Pie may go down. Piniella talked about "too many OFs" and "you gotta play the veterans because they have the track record or else you start to have clubhouse problems". Unless a deal can be made soon involving Jones, it sounds like Pie is the one to go down.
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Whether you care about steroids (or HGH) or not, I agree with you. You still have to have tremendous hand-eye coordination to not only hit the ball, but to hit a fly ball hard enough to have a reasonable shot at being a HR (aided by steroids or not). That's why Bonds has to be considered one of the all-time greats whether he used steroids or not. When the smoke has cleared, we will probably find out that there were a bunch of skinny players who used steroids and hit .250 with 12 HRs per season. Bonds and Sosa are two exceptional talents that probably used steroids to complement their exceptional talent.
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Izturis drove in an insurance run last night. I hope that doesn't mean he's the starter again.
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I'm going at this by process of elimination. I'm guessing it wasn't Juan Pierre or Jacque Jones.
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Great article on Prior... See's the other side of the story
Backtobanks replied to cubsfan5150's topic in Chicago Cubs Talk
I agree. The Cubs have spent money on pitchers like Scott Williamson and Wade Miller to come back from serious injuries, you might as well invest a little in a guy that has (had) a world of talent and is still young. Of course, that's assuming Prior would agree to some kind of reasonable contract spread over the next few years. I know the history of Mark Prior in Chicago, but if the Cubs follow the same path as this year (don't count on him and anything at all is a plus) I think re-signing him would be a wise choice. -
Sandy Koufax (71) Drafted In Israeli Baseball League
Backtobanks replied to Roast's topic in Chicago Cubs Talk
There's always a market for a left-handed pitcher. -
Nate Silver trade suggestions
Backtobanks replied to kroth1342's topic in MLB Draft, International Signings, Amateur Baseball
In the offseason, hope springs eternal (just ask Cub fans). During the season, teams have injuries, rookies don't produce, and needs become more apparent, so I do think there is a market for Jones. The question is when to trade him and what do you get in return. -
It's great to be optimistic, but let's be honest. In the NL Central, if a team is playing .500 at the All-Star break they will be very much in contention. That's why all of those "the sky is falling" threads are ridiculous.
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What do you mean by this? Teams make 2 for 1, 3 for 1 and 3 for 2 type trades every year. Pretty much every team has roster flexibility, where they can option somebody out, release guys or make call-ups if they make a deal that is not 1 for 1. Yeah but let's face it, no team is going to give us anything for Jones, Izturis, Eyre and Miller as a package deal. I think people need to start being realistic about trades. I was being sarcastic about packaging all 4 players, but I do think Jones, Izturis, and Eyre in 2 or 3 separate trades should be able to get us a decent backup middle IF and a decent prospect or two. I still believe somewhere sometime there is a market for Jones. Izturis might be of interest for a team that suffers an injury at SS. As for Eyre, he's a left-handed relief pitcher and there's always a market for them, even if they're crappy. The real question becomes when the timing is right.
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Package Jones, Izturis, Eyre, and Miller for a decent middle IF and a good prospect or two.
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I totally agree. It's not like you're putting Adam Dunn or Randall Simon at SS. Even if Izturis is still a Gold Glove SS, Theriot is miles ahead of him with good offense and average defense.
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So if we put our best hitters 7th, 8th, and 9th, it wouldn't affect the number of runs scored? Obviously, you bat your best OBP hitters 1st and 2nd, with the RBI hitters 3rd, 4th, 5th, & 6th, if for no other reason than they will bat more often during the game (and season).
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Shouldn't Lou ask Soriano to bat in the middle of the order instead of leading off. Theriot, Murton, Lee, ARam, Soriano, Barrett, Derosa, Pie sounds like the best possible lineup in terms of producing runs. Batting Floyd or Barrett on occasion wouldn't hurt the lineup. I know that the suggested lineup is really right-handed, but good hitters are good hitters irregardless of which side of the plate in which they stand.
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Theriot belongs in the starting lineup until he proves differently. He is hitting a ton and his spark seems to add to the total offense. His only mistakes this year have come from over-hustling.
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Maybe one of the reasons they continue to play Jones is that they're showcasing him to other teams. A "perceived" starter should be worth more than a bench warmer.
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You do wonder why broadcasters, fans, and East-coast media can see it, but Rothschild has yet to make note of it. You honestly don't think he has? Well, if he has, I would think that the two of them would have corrected the arm angle problem by now. By looking at yesterday's game, it doesn't look like anyone is trying to correct the situation. Again, I hope it's poor mechanics and not a hidden injury.
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You do wonder why broadcasters, fans, and East-coast media can see it, but Rothschild has yet to make note of it.
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Brenley pointed out in Zambrano's last start that Zambrano seems to be throwing at a lower arm angle (almost sidearm) than in previous years. After he said that, I noticed the same thing. Has anyone else noticed this? If it's true, you would think Rothschild should have noticed it. Also, if it's true, I hope it's because of bad mechanics and not some hidden injury.
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I've been a Cub fan for over 50 years, so I know I've tasted too much of the Kool-Aide, but I think it's irrational too panic this early. A player like Soriano is going to start hitting and Zambrano will start pitching (unless he's injured). The good that may come out of this poor start is that Hendry might be forced to make a blockbuster deal sometime during the season. With their poor play, I would think Jones, Miller, Cedeno, Eyre, and Izturis are trade bait. If Guzman, Cherry, and/or Marmol come up and show something, the trade bait could include Zambrano and Howry.
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That might be the core of a deal, but I would think it would take some tweaking since Zambrano (although a possible free agent)>Santana and Murton (so far in the majors)>Wood.
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I have been reading this board a long time. That being said, this is probably one of the most ridiculous statements I have ever read here. Actually, here or on any of many other baseball boards I read. I'm guessing that you are not a Chicago resident or if you are, probably not born here. Call it ridiculous and put your blinders on but I live on the South Side and the hate towards Sammy and Frank Thomas from Sox fans based on race is voiced even to this day, even with both of them out of Chicago. It is just a sad reality of life in Chicago. Racism runs deep, especially on the South Side. I'm giving you my observation of one reason why Sox fans hate Sammy, I'm not condoning it or maintaining that it is the only reason they hate him. Racism is alive and well on the South Side, but I don't think the hatred for Sammy and/or Frank is based on race. One of the most beloved players in Sox history was Minnie Minoso. Right now, one of the most popular is Jermaine Dye. I think it has more to do with being a pompous ass in addition to being African-American that the hatred might be based on.
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You underestimate Charlie Manuel.
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The bottom line is that there are probably so many users of steroids or HGH that it wouldn't be fair to single out anyone unless there was positive test results. When you look at some of the minor league players that were found, they weren't all big, muscular players and more than a few were pitchers. Call it the "Steroid Era" or whatever you want, but when you look at the numbers, players like Bonds and Sosa certainly belong in the HOF. Do you realize that blackballing the "suspected" steroid users could result in a Hall of Fame without the all-time HR leader, the single-season HR record holder, the only 4 guys who hit more than 60 HRs in a season, along with the all-time hits leader. Throw Clemens into the mix and you have excluded one of the top 2-3 right-handed pitchers in history.