Backtobanks

Let's hope the good Zambrano shows up Sunday because today's game looks like a lost cause.

Amen! I think Ramirez is uncomfortable being "The Man". His strength is being the 2nd or 3rd best hitter on the team. Also, don't forget that he is still pretty young. Obviously, if the Cubs get someone like Cabrera, then Ramirez is expendable, but not when your next 3B is named Perez.

I remember quite a few posters wanted the Cubs to sign Preston Wilson for RF.

We all know todd walker is as good as gone come the trade deadline Just like we all knew he would be traded in spring training.

If they want Williamson or Jones, we ought to make them take Rusch, Perez, or Bynum.

The Cubs might have had a chance if the series was at Wrigley, but not when it's at the Cell. The Sox get to use Thome and the Cubs will probably counter with Blanco (actually catching with Barrett DHing). At Wrigley, the Sox would have to take either Thome or Konerko out of their lineup. Let's hope Maddux is on his game and Buerhle is off his. Game three has possibilities if Zambrano stays hot. Game two is a lost cause.

We might as well put Hank White at 1B.

But apparently you can win the WS with a jerk as a manager.

Who did you want? Keeping Nomar was never a pie in the sky goofy concept. He was willing to come back cheeply and switch positions. It's not in the same category of thinking about keeping Burnitz or Patterson. I was one of the very few who supported the Tejada/Prior deal that was rumored. But since it didn't happen, I was very supportive of Cedeno and Walker at SS and 2nd. Also, I believe you and I were in agreement in trying to get Giles to play RF. Of course, signing Giles would've prevented Hendry from overspending on Perez, Jones and Rusch. I agree on all counts. You put Giles and Tejada on this team and you have a nice lineup. Walker could have lead off if they could get the speed thing out of their little minds. I don't know why people continue to bring up Giles since all the evidence has shown that he was never leaving San Diego. As for the 2nd bolded sentence, if you put Giles and Tejada on any team and you would have a nice lineup.

For one year instead of three. Nevermind, you don't want to hear it. For the 8 millionth time, the chances of Jones being on the Cubs for 3 years are very slim unless he continues hitting the way he has lately. I look for Jones to be traded as soon as Pie is ready to play in the majors everyday.

All in all, I don't think that this group is a bad bench. Of course, if injuries cause you to play some of these players as regulars, then you have a problem.

Actually, I (along with a number of other posters) said that keeping Patterson was a better option than trading for Pierre, and that Nomar for a year was a decent option. And quite a few advocated for Prior for Tejada. This isn't about hindsight-people have been saying these things since October. Nomar would have been fine in RF-certainly no worse (from a throwing standpoint) than Jones. There are very few logical arguments why he wouldn't be. There is no way that anyone could possibly think Nomar could do as well as Jones in throwing from RF unless you use hindsight to look at Jones' problems this year, which proves my point. Jones was noted for having a very good arm while Nomar makes Pierre look good.

This is just not at all true. The hindsight accusation is completely bogus. Many people were up in arms about these moves long before they were made. Many said they would much rather have Burnitz for 1 year than Jones for 3. Many said they would rather have Patterson for relatively cheap than Jones or Pierre for a lot. Many said they wanted Nomar back at the cheap deal he was supposedly willing to sign. You're dead wrong on this, dead wrong. And then everyone would have criticized Hendry for bringing back the same team that was lousy last year. Again, I'm not defending everything that Hendry has done, I just want to emphasize that being a GM is much easier sitting at our computers than it is really making the deals.

I'm as frustrated as everyone else, but I'm getting tired of all of the posters who are now criticizing Hendry by using 20/20 hindsight. People would rather have Burnitz, Patterson, Nomar, etc. rather than their replacements. Let's be honest, everyone would have ripped Hendry for keeping Patterson, Burnitz, and Nomar. Look at the posts from last year talking about those "bums" Patterson and Burnitz, and the always-injured Nomar. Nomar had no position to play on the Cubs and anyone who suggests he could play RF or SS is kidding themselves. (Of course, using our 20/20 hindsight we would know that Lee was going to get injured and Nomar could play 1B.) As for the 3-year contract for Jones, I think that has been explained many times. He had to match the other offer, but I don't think there is any way Jones is going to be a Cub for 3 years. He will be traded at some point with the Cubs eating part of his salary. I can imagine the howls of protest that would follow Hendry trading Prior or Zambrano for the big bat that they need. (Of course, using 20/20 hindsight, we would know Prior would be injured.) Many people wanted Hendry to sign Furcal, but imagine the protests when he gives Furcal 4yrs. @ $13 million per year and Furcal stinks. Anyone who blames Hendry for not getting Giles is ignoring all of the evidence that Giles refused to leave SD. Finally, none of us know exactly what the other teams wanted when Hendry asked about Kearns, Dunn, Tejada, Abreu, Craig Wilson, etc. The bottom line is that Hendry has his faults as a GM, but the job looks a whole lot easier sitting at our computers and using 20/20 hindsight.

The only way the Orioles would trade Tejada is to rebuild, so I don't think they would want Maddux. Since the spring rumors involved Prior, Maddux isn't what they want. Offering some combination of Marshall, Hill, Guzman, and Cedeno from the majors and prospects from the minors might work.

I think the only way Baker gets fired is if the Cubs do have a White-Flag sale and end the season with rookies playing in 5-6 positions. Personally, I don't think that is going to happen. The Cubs have too large of a payroll and too much competition (White Sox) to just kiss off the season. The Cubs aren't going to go into a 3-4 year rebuilding state (that's what it would take) while the Sox are winning the AL Central and contending for the WS. I look for the Cubs to rebound in the 2nd half and finish a little over .500, Baker will be extended, and Hendry will make lots of late season and off-season deals to try to correct the problems.

I say Restovich gets DFA'd. Dusty refuses to play him and Bynum has that speed factor going for him. Because we all know (let's say the mantra together) "SPEED NEVER SLUMPS" But doesn't the "speed" have to play in order not to slump.

Knowing how superstitious players are, does anyone agree with me that maybe it's time to ditch the camouflage tee shirt that he wears. It doesn't seem to be working.

Why is that people start wondering about Murton and Cedeno. Are they supposed to be slump-proof? Actually Murton and Cedeno are two of the best things about the Cubs this year. I think they both have shown that they can be productive players in the majors for quite a few years.

I don't think Ramirez is untouchable, but about the only way I would trade him is for Cabrera, ARod, or Blalock. The Cubs had a black hole at 3B for decades, so I'm not to quick on the Trade-Ramirez Bandwagon. I really think his problems stem from having to be "THE MAN" while Lee is out. I think ARam is more comfortable playing under-the-radar while others (Lee, Sosa, etc.) are the stars.

I think he can be had for 1 young pitcher. Both Eduardo Perez or Craig Wilson would be what this teams right now. I'm not as ready for a White Flag firesale as many of the other people are. I think many people are overly optimistic about receiving other team's top prospects for our rejects, especially since they know we're desperate.

How about going after Eduardo Perez of the Indians. The Indians have been a disappointment this year and can use some young pitching. Perez hits lefties very well and would be a good platoon for RF after Lee returns. What do you think?

Question for all: Do we overvalue Cedeno and Murton? Cedeno is currently ranked 15th among shortstops in VORP, so he's middle of the pack offensively, and he's slumping right now, so he could drop into the bottom third. Defensively, his range is great, but his throwing accuracy has been a problem. He's ranked as very below average defensively by Clay Davenport's fielding metric. As the season progresses, I expect him to get past the wildness, but it may not happen. His OBP has been extremely average-driven. He's in the bottom 9 in all of MLB in pitches per plate appearance, joining notorious free-swingers like Vlad Guerrero and Jeff Francoeur. PECOTA projects Ronny to be worth about 3 wins above a replacement player this year. That looks good to Cubs fans because it's better than Neifi Perez, but it's not that great, either. And PECOTA doesn't see him improving much if at all over the next 5 years. Murton has been a slightly below average fielder in left (his awkward fielding makes him look worse than he actually is). His OBP is great, but his slugging isn't what you want from a corner outfielder. He is among the league leaders in ground balls (last I heard, he was right behind Juan Pierre). Like Cedeno, Cubs fans support Murton because he's so much better than what we saw in LF for much of last year. If Murton can keep his OBP up, he might make a good leadoff hitter, but if he's a starter, the Cubs would need to pick up some power at a position in which power is not normally expected (SS, 2B, CF, etc). I don't understand why people would get on Cedeno or Murton at this point. Basically they are rookies and still learning their way around the league. At the same time, whenever I suggest trading Hill or Guzman, people emphasize that they are rookies and show great potential. I think Cedeno and Murton can be solid major league players for many years, but they aren't immune to slumps.

I would say the Cubs have to play at least .550 ball when everybody comes for me to be okay with an extention. Playing .500 isn't good enough. I would think that when Prior, Wood, Miller, and Lee come back, the Cubs need to play .700 ball for at least a month for Hendry to offer him an extension. After all, the return of those players eliminates all of Baker's excuses.

Can you get your own coffee?