Backtobanks

IIRC, Grace had more hits in the 90's than any other player in the game during that period. I could be wrong, though. He also led the league in slumpbusting. See, going into a slump isn't all that bad. He needed 3,000 hits to have any chance IMO. He should go into the Cubs HOF and even the Dbacks just for one hit alone. I don't think he'll get in, but if you compare his stats to Kirby Puckett, you'd think there's a glimmer of a hope. The big difference is Puckett got a ring, and for some stupid reason, that's a big discriminator. Puckett was the face of the franchise and the city. Grace was a crowd favorite, but never the star of the team. Also, I would imagine Puckett was way ahead of Grace with all-star appearances and MVP voting.

Didn't Gary Carter and Mazeroski play defense? A defensive 1B with little power will never make the HOF. Unfortunately, certain positions (2B, SS, etc.) are considered defensive positions whereas other positions (1B, OF, etc.) are not only considered offensive positions, but offensive with power positions. Unless you are someone like Tony Gwynn with 3000+ hits, you need to show some muscle.

So what else is new: CINCINNATI -- Ken Griffey Jr. broke his left hand in an accident at home, the latest in a series of injuries that have derailed the career of the All-Star outfielder. Griffey's throwing hand will be in a hard cast for three weeks, then will be re-examined, Reds spokesman Rob Butcher said Friday. from espn.

May I be the first to vote for Izturis/Womack. That would be the best middle infield since Perez/Macias.

There is no way outside big injuries that the cubs will finish only 8 games better than they did last year. Agree to disagree, the pitching is terrible, offense mildly improved. Lee will help of course. Agree to disagree with you on this one. The starting pitching should be improved over Zambrano and 4 AA pitchers. If (and it's a big if) Prior returns to health, it could be an excellent starting rotation. I think the bullpen is one of the strongest in baseball, especially if the starters consistently pitch into the 6th or 7th inning. A full season of Hill certainly should be an improvement over half a season of Hill. A full season of Lee automatically improves the offense, let alone Soriano instead of Pierre. If the Cubs sign Floyd, the bench would be definitely stronger with Ward, Floyd/Murton, and Theriot. There's still a few moves to make, but I would think this is a team that should win 83+ games.

Advice to parents: Teach your kid to throw left-handed.

If Hendry wants to platoon Floyd, here's an idea, sign Craig Wilson to platoon in RF with Floyd and move Soriano to CF. Murton plays everyday in LF, Jones gets traded, and Floyd/Wilson gives you great production in RF and strengthens the bench.

I can understand the frustration with Marquis, but to say Prior, Miller, and Guzman are better than he is "without a doubt" and that the Cubs have 7-8 guys who can match his performance is certainly questionable. Prior, Miller, Guzman, and the other young pitchers have a lot of question marks next to their names.

The same reason every Cub trade rumor involves Pie or Hill.

Dawson, no question. Santo, it's a little fuzzier there. I'm a big proponent of comparing players to others that have played their given position. If a guy is one of the ten best 1B, 2B, etc., he belongs in. Looking at 1B, Gehrig and Foxx were unquestionably better than Bagwell. The next tier would have to be McGwire, Bagwell, Greenberg (better player, but shorter career), Johnny Mize, Eddie Murray, Killebrew, Cap Anson, McCovey and Frank Thomas. Ignoring the whole steroid business, I'd probably rank them as: 1. Gehrig 2. Foxx 3. Greenberg (I think guys should be given credit when they missed some of their prime years due to the war - not penalized for this) 4. McGwire 5. Mize 6. Bagwell 7. Thomas 8. Killebrew 9. Murray 10. McCovey whereas 3B I would go: 1. Schmidt 2. Eddie Mathews 3. George Brett 4. Boggs 5. Santo 6. Home Run Baker 7. Molitor 8. Brooks Robinson 9. Stan Hack 10. Rolen So even though Bagwell was clearly the better hitter, I'd call him and Santo about even based on where they rank at their respective positions. I agree with your criteria, and by using it both Bagwell and Santo not only should be in the HOF, but probably 1st ballot HOFers. We all know how that turned out for Santo.

Jones for Jones (Andruw) as long as we're dreaming.

I'm with you 100%. I think the original question is somewhat of a strawman - of course the Cubs will try to win every year, but as far as trades and (especially) FA signings it should be recognized that future years' chances to win are affected just as much as next year's. The Cubs have spent money like a drunken sailor in this off-season so far. I have no problem with them spending money with a sense of urgency to win; it's just agonizing to see how poorly they've spent it. It would have been better to wait for a more talented FA class. And while you're waiting for a more talented FA class, you might realize that one might not come along and you've grown old waiting. I wouldn't be surprised to see more teams signing their stars long-term to big contracts like the Blue Jays did with Wells. At least you know what you're getting for the money. I don't disagree with you in principle but I agree more with frostwyrm that this was a particularly awful year to open the vault. Your point about Wells is well-taken; I really wish the suddenly-spending Cubs would have made a #1 priority of securing Zambrano this off-season. The real problem lies in player (mis)valuations. I don't have a lot of faith that the Cubs would have spent the money more wisely if this were a stronger FA class, but at least the margin for error would be higher. There's always mediocrity out there, and the Cubs have a long history of overvaluing it. That is the real problem and it will continue to be a problem until there's a change in the GM. The other problem with a strong free agent class is that you would have to outbid all of the other big spenders (Yankees, Red Sox, Mets, etc.). If someone like Cabrera or Santana became a FA, do you think Steinbrenner would be outbid?

I really hope he's not the Cubs starting CF. The Cubs can't afford anymore potential black hole spots in the lineup. I think the Cubs are going to wait until somebody makes a decent offer for Jones. That might not be until spring training. I've posted before that Hendry has made so many moves that we go crazy because he doesn't make one for a week or two. I do think he will trade Jones, but he's not going to give him away for nothing. As many posters have written, Jones in CF is not perfect, but it's not a disaster either.

I'm with you 100%. I think the original question is somewhat of a strawman - of course the Cubs will try to win every year, but as far as trades and (especially) FA signings it should be recognized that future years' chances to win are affected just as much as next year's. The Cubs have spent money like a drunken sailor in this off-season so far. I have no problem with them spending money with a sense of urgency to win; it's just agonizing to see how poorly they've spent it. It would have been better to wait for a more talented FA class. And while you're waiting for a more talented FA class, you might realize that one might not come along and you've grown old waiting. I wouldn't be surprised to see more teams signing their stars long-term to big contracts like the Blue Jays did with Wells. At least you know what you're getting for the money.

Most of BenMaller.com is direct quotes from sites all over the U.S.

Assuming they're all healthy and pitching as they have shown they are capable of pitching, then: Zambrano Prior Hill Lilly Marquis/Miller as 5th starter and swingman I still think the #3 starter's job is Hill's to lose after what he did during the 2nd half. The real key is Prior because his health would slot the other pitchers where they should be (middle and bottom of the rotation).

That could be said about a lot of players......Santo, Dawson, Blyleven, etc.

I think every trade offer regarding the Mets involves Milledge and Heilman. I think thats a little much for the Mets to give up, but then again they must have really liked Victor Zambrano too. A "rising star pitcher" to me sounds like Hill. No thanks on that deal. I agree that Milledge and Heilman sounds like way too much for Rios, maybe it should be Milledge or Heilman. I'd love to have him, but not at the equivalent of Milledge and Heilman.

As another poster pointed out, the Sox didn't give up anything of value, so it might be worth the risk.

I just want to get a RH platoon partner for Jacque in CF and call the OF done. Yep. Heck, I'd still put Soriano in CF and get a guy like Craig Wilson to platoon in RF with Jones. I would love to see it, but I don't think Wilson is going tosign on to be a platoon player. I'm sure he will find a job being a starter. With the exception of 2004, Wilson has only ever been a platoon player. He doesn't seem to be drawing much attention. The Yankees have talked to him about coming back as a 1B backup/platoon partner. With Huff, Nixon, Floyd, Klesko, Nevin & Hillenbrand all still available, the market for 1B/corner OFs is soft. The Cubs could offer 300-400 or so ABs between RF and PH. Wilson would also have the opportunity to win the job outright if Jones is dealt or Murton falters. I'd do this in a hearbeat. Soriano's stint in CF can be temporary if he doesn't work out there or doesn't like the position, you shift him to RF once Pie is ready. btw- It'd also be nice to have an emergency catcher on the roster so that Barrett can be the primary RH pinch hitter on days when Blanco starts. He would be great to have, but I just have the feeling he would sign with a small market team with the thought of being a regular. Can you imagine a bench with Wilson, Floyd, and Ward. That would certainly be an upgrade. Oops, almost forgot the two biggest bats on the bench Zambrano and Marquis.

because there there there might be better players next year and we could possibly win in 2008 eventhough the NL central will be crap again in 2007 Then again there might not be. Fill the holes now with the best players available and reload every year with prospects and/or free agents. Put the profits into the team and not into the owners pockets.

Let's win first and then worry about 2009 and Ted Lilly's contract. IMO Hendry does care about the Cubs and it's not his obscene spending. If the Tribune had decided to open their pocketbooks a few years ago, we might be the World Champions now. Yes Hendry is out to save his job, but he is taking orders from above to win now and spend what you need to spend to get a winner.

I would suggest that we wait until they actually play the season before we decide the Cubs aren't even that good. I would love a young good team over an oldish, mediocre, expensive team too, but I'm at the point where I want to see a winner whether they are young, old, cheap, or expensive. As for the "mediocre" label, I would venture to guess that the passionate fans in most baseball cities think their home team is mediocre. On paper, there might be a few teams that stand out, but most of the teams fall into the mediocre category. Let's not forget that a very "mediocre" team is currently the World Champions.

I really don't think the owners of the Cubs (Tribune or whomever) can go very far backwards on the budget. Chicago is a major city and the Cubs have competition from the WS, Bears, and Bulls so keeping their fanbase is going to be an ongoing commitment. Once you make the move to play with the big boys (Yankees, Red Sox, etc.) you can't go back.

I agree, let the Tribune spend some of their money. It's not like they're going to give us fans a break on ticket prices anyhow. The object is to win the Division and the playoffs are a crapshoot. Whoever gets the hot hitter or pitcher goes to the WS. These teams have been making a ton of profits every year and finally some of them (Cubs, Royals, Blue Jays, etc.) have decided to start spending the money. I've been a fan for over 50 years and I agree....win it in 2007 and reload again every year after that.