jersey cubs fan

The trib has a video with their sports editor more or less talking about how great it is, and he only mentions AJ getting hit, and their article doesn't mention the slide either. I'm not away of the slide other than what people wrote here and don't really care, but a pitcher getting thrown out for throwing behind a hitter is not the least bit new.

I don't even know what the hell raw is talking about at this point. He seems to really want Forte back but then indicates he could go either way. He seems to think RBs are replacable but at the same time vital cogs. I don't really understand where he's coming from.

What's the point? Choi when he was traded is nothing like Rizzo now, or when he was traded. You seemed to take issue with the fact that I alluded to the fact that they both were highly regarded prospects who struggled in the majors and that Choi just had more service time (104 games vs. 49 - either way, not nearly enough to write off a top 25 prospect). I then provided evidence that Choi was even more highly regarded than Rizzo. He didn't "just have more service time". There is a bigger difference than that. Choi wasn't a prospect at all when he was traded. It's not the same damn thing. Choi had completed his age 24 season when he was traded. Rizzo started destroying AAA ball at 21. There was a 1.5 year age difference when they saw their first major league service time. Rizzo is a younger more productive hitter than Choi was when he was poised to hit the big leagues. Their rankings relative to any given year's class a decade apart do not compare them as individuals.

The NL isn't an entity that can make such a decision and hasn't been for quite some time.

He had a nice start, broke his head then looked really bad. Yes, the shine was off. Seriously, how is this even a conversation?

No it is not basically the same. It is 3 players all capable of contributing to the team, and not one guy who is very easily capable of being worthless within a year or two and huge salary cap and real dollar waste. 7m on 3 guys who can all do good things is smart, >8m on one RB is not smart. It has not been smart for quite a long time. Also, if the RB position is so expendable....why aren't 2 UDFAs (or Bell and UDFA) not capable of contributing? If you have a roster of 3 RBs, you have 3 players capable of contributing. Whether you're paying 2.5Mil to all 3 or 8Mil to 1 and minimum wage to the other 2, it's still the same. Sure it sucks if that 8Mil player gets hurt and doesn't live up to his contract, but you got capable players either way. If it's so expendable of a position, why spend 7Mil at all? Why not spend 2-3Mil total? Draft one high every 4 years, let him walk when he's a FA and then pick up UDFAs as necessary. I take from your comments that the Saints are being smart but the Bears are not (if they re-sign Forte), when they'll still have the same money tied up into the RB position regardless, and both will have financial constraints on every other positions, both have high paid QBs, both have aging stars getting paid on D, both will suffer if someone gets injured. jesus man, your line of reasoning on this topic is going nowhere

No it is not basically the same. It is 3 players all capable of contributing to the team, and not one guy who is very easily capable of being worthless within a year or two and huge salary cap and real dollar waste. 7m on 3 guys who can all do good things is smart, >8m on one RB is not smart. It has not been smart for quite a long time. I've said several times I'm 50/50 on Forte getting a new contract. I think the difference here is that I think Forte will be good enough for long enough to justify the extension for the most part. He is capable of being worthless in 1-2 years, but if you guarantee him $20Mil and give him a 5-year contract, you can cut him loose after 3 years and he won't hurt anything, because all the guaranteed money is paid at that point. You think he's only going to give 1-2 good years, I think he's capable of 2-3. I'm 100% on him getting a new contract. I'm just pointing out how stupid the "pay the man" people are and how dumb it is to pay top dollar for a RB. Pay him a non-top dollar deal and it'll be great. Then cut him the day Cutler's deal hits the books.

What's the point? Choi when he was traded is nothing like Rizzo now, or when he was traded.

Choi didn't "just have more service time". He wasn't nearly the PCL destroyer that he appeared to be on pace to becoming or that other PCL hitters were. He had a decent outset to his major league time, but by the time he was traded his reputation was already on the decline from where it was after his AA time. He wasn't exposed as a bust, but the shine was well off, especially after his head broke. BA had him as the 22nd best prospect in baseball going into 03, PCL destroyer or not. A year after dropping him from 22 to 40. And the trade happened a year after that ranking, after his reputation continued to slide. Lots of people lost love for Choi that year, plus he broke his head.

He probably had some value in the 2005/2006 timeframe. Not centerpiece in a Miguel Cabrera deal, but some value at least.

Choi didn't "just have more service time". He wasn't nearly the PCL destroyer that he appeared to be on pace to becoming or that other PCL hitters were. He had a decent outset to his major league time, but by the time he was traded his reputation was already on the decline from where it was after his AA time. He wasn't exposed as a bust, but the shine was well off, especially after his head broke.

No it is not basically the same. It is 3 players all capable of contributing to the team, and not one guy who is very easily capable of being worthless within a year or two and huge salary cap and real dollar waste. 7m on 3 guys who can all do good things is smart, >8m on one RB is not smart. It has not been smart for quite a long time.

Maybe now is a good time to point out that Jay Cutler is in line for a huge extension within the next year that will probably pay him $4-5m more per year than what his current deal is paying him.

In in those 36 innings he's got 48 K and only 11 BB.

I mean, whatever it's Dempster, but that's far from an OH MY GOD package. I think I'd rather have a draft pick. Syndergaard is a 19 year old sandwich pick currently incinerating the Midwest league. Why take the risk of not being able to get the pick, never mind the near certainty that the pick doesn't look as good as Syndergaard now? Completely agreed. me three

Garland for Karchner baby!!! I do think Jim should have been more interested in pulling the trigger on trades of his prospects while their reputations were still intact instead of waiting for all their flaws to be exposed and trading them after he no longer wanted them. My guess is once they feel they actually have prospects and this team is back to being respectable, this regime will be more willing to trade their better prospects while they are still prospects for better major leaguers.

Perfect

Just saw the HR on Gameday. From the camera view, off the bat, that thing looked more likely to be a blooper into short leftcenter rather than a homer. Didn't look like a couple rows in though, guy in front row caught it.

can we talk about everybody else on the team now?

nothing but walks all day and now this guy can't throw a ball.

stupid gameday with the brief tease of a live look in

People continue to suckle on Dumpster’s teat as if it were Salma Hayek’s. He gave up 6 hits, 4 walks, and 6 ERs in under 5 innings today, but it’s not his fault. Couldn’t be. No, instead the sucklers look at his sub 3.00 ERA, his still sparkling 1.15 WHIP, his anemic run support and declare him the best EVAH. I gave up this battle long ago on message boards, but the fire still burns. Dumpster puts the over in rated. If only the Cubs could somehow maroon him on Gilligan’s Island. Or at least Des Moines. One last year and perhaps, finally, we’ll be done with him. Free at last, Free at last, thank God Almighty, they’ll be Free at last. Okay, which one of you bozos has this second login?

I know Banedon is the only one that agrees with me, but I think it is faster to dive head first, since you immediately gain 6'. However I don't think the risk of injury outweighs the extra .01 second you gain. Nice play by Barney. I don't think immediately means what you think it means.

Who touched middle of the road for like a 2-year window of his career.

Because if you don't he'll force you to.