jersey cubs fan

give truffle and any other riff raff a place of their own.

Teams do find value in innings eaters though. If they could get Silva without paying much salary, they could view it as saving some of their young arms and hopefully getting average 180+ innings every year.

And they have to count on one of those backups this round. What's your point?

Yeah, that is the point. But you inaccurately said Bennett isn't any good so I pointed out you were wrong. Everybody has conceded they are far from ideal. The first thing they can consider doing in the red zone is not be like Turner and routinely take Greg Olsen out of the game in RZ passing situations, if he's still on the team. I'm not sure how you disagree with my statement and then go out and pretty much prove my statement correct.

The Blackhawks aren't exactly lacking in the hot goalie department. Their guy actually had to stop legit attacks.

Ok, but you're criticizing the WR's, not the line. Would Faulk have been as good with the line the Bears had last season? How about Bruce or Holt? Would Warner have been rushing passes? If not...he'd have been taking sacks. None of us are saying that the Bears are going to have the Rams offense from the "best show on turf" days. We're saying that if we don't have that, it's not necessarily due to bad receivers. It's much more likely to be because of a bad line. Not as good, but better. I'm hoping a healthy Forte would've been better than Forte was last year. He was pretty slow and tentative. I dismiss the notion that you can just plug and play if you've got the QB and line. You need play makers. And jersey, Holt is basically the less hyped version of Marvin Harrison. He put numbers well into the Bulger years. He was also a top 10 draft pick. He's not Pierre Garcon or anything. Bruce put up numbers in St. Louis that have never been done by a Chicago Bear before (excepting that one weird Marcus Robinson year maybe) Warner and Vermiel ever got there. That has a lot to do with playing in a dome during the peak of the greatest show on turf. I don't really get your point in whining about the Bears WR not being what STL had. Nobody thinks they are the greatest show on turf, but they don't have to be. They have multiple guys who can make big plays, who have made big plays. But what matters is whether the line and QB will allow anything to happen. Again, WR don't make or break teams.

Yeah, and the Bears won't be winning 13 or 14 games this year. Okay. But Holt did almost all his damage in a brief window when STL was elite, and Isaac Bruce wasn't all that great until the Martz/Warner years. The vast majority of WR are a product of their surroundings. There's no point in lamenting the lack of a proven superstar WR, as WR come and go every year. Any of these guys could have an outstanding season.

Why? Because in a non-Lou NL lineup that's typically where you dump someone who is not a terribly good or consistent hitter because the pitcher is coming up after them. It basically gives the opposing team all the incentive in the world the pitch around a good hitter in that spot in certain situations. He's probably just going to see too much garbage pitching if he's kept in the 8th spot and I'd rather he be challenged higher up in the lineup. There's also the added "pressure" of having to make something happen because the pitcher is up next. Ironically, having Castro up is about the only time you could sorta justify Lou's insistence of hitting Soto 8th if Castro is hitting 7th...but not really. Having those two that low in the lineup is just dumb. To me, the biggest thing that Castro has to learn is the ability to lay off that junk and identify a good pitch to hit. The 8th spot is good for that. I find it strange that you feel he may have the pressure to "make something happen" out of the 8th spot, but don't recognize that same pressure hitting leadoff, where hitters make careers out of providing a "spark" or "jumpstarting" an offense simply because they make contact and can run. Castro's best attribute is the ability to make contact. Chasing junk isn't really his problem.

I still maintain a great line and great QB will make receivers much more than receivers will make an offense.

50 catches, 700 yards, 13 YPC in his 1st year of playing indicates he's at least decent. It's almost inevitable that someone is going to put up numbers when you drop back and pass a lot. He's a compiler, not a difference maker. Dude is afraid to get hit. He's not elite, but that doesn't justify your comment that he isn't any good.

50 catches, 700 yards, 13 YPC in his 1st year of playing indicates he's at least decent.

Why? I can think of 2 reasons. The pitcher treats that guy differently, since the automatic out is nearly always behind him. So you see less "normal" pitching. And second, because the pitcher is next, that 8 hitter could feel pressure to make something happen with the few pitches he does get. He almost doesn't want to get ahead 2-0 because that could mean auto walk and end of inning with the pitcher. Although I don't think it matters all that much.

The media might talk about the need for a true leadoff hitter ad nauseum, but that does not make the leadoff spot any more difficult to actually play. It's just hitting. And Castro hasn't looked any different going from 8 to 2. He's handled every "promotion" he's been given incredibly well. And you aren't asking him to play out of position, since despite all the nonsense, leadoff is not a position. He might handle it well, but I don't see any reason to put unnecessary pressure on him. It's pretty obvious most players see leadoff as some sort of magical position, and you don't want Castro to start pressing in order to impress his coaches and teammates. I don't see how it's obvious that most players see it as some sort of magical position. I don't see anything different out of Fukudome. Theriot is the same punch and judy hitter no matter where he is in the lineup. At most, you might see a guy take a few more pitches, and maybe run a little. But I don't think that's any worse than having a 2 hole hitter stupidly try and hit it to the right side all the time or having an 8 hitter trying to force the action since the automatic out pitcher is behind him.

You don't think there's more pressure on a leadoff hitter than a guy batting 7th or 8th? It may be too much pressure if it causes him to start trying to do too much or to start pressing. There's also a chance he'll handle that pressure. He doesn't seem to lack confidence or be intimidated by new situations. I don't really buy the more pressure thing. Castro is trying to play major league baseball right now. That's pressure. When he goes to bat as the 8th guy I doubt he's thinking, "well, it really doesn't matter what I do here since I'm just the 8th hitter." And I don't think he goes up batting 1st or 2nd and thinks, "oh crap, now it matters, I have to hit well." The guy tries to hit well 1-9, so what's the big deal? I can see the fans and media judging him differently as a leadoff guy, since they are idiots. But as long as the team doesn't just decide he can't do the job if he struggles and then scapegoats him, who cares. Plus, we're talking about just in games that a lefty is starting. It really doesn't matter.

The media might talk about the need for a true leadoff hitter ad nauseum, but that does not make the leadoff spot any more difficult to actually play. It's just hitting. And Castro hasn't looked any different going from 8 to 2. He's handled every "promotion" he's been given incredibly well. And you aren't asking him to play out of position, since despite all the nonsense, leadoff is not a position.

What's wrong with Castro leading off against lefties? In his limited time up he's posting significantly better OBP against LH pitchers. LH starters: .316 .480 .474 .954 (6 games) RH starters: .366 .366 .512 .878 (10 games) It may be asking too much of a first year player. However, since it's the lesser half of the platoon (so to speak) I guess it would be ok. How is it too much? It's not like that guy has extra duties.

They didn't dominate from whistle to whistle, but they were in control at all times and rarely trailed. I'd say that was as close to domination as you can get in a conference finals without shutting the opponent out every game.

It wouldn't be tough to trade them for a reliever if the Cubs are eating all costs.

I don't find it laughable since pretty much the entire organization has been gushing about the WR since the middle of last year. The Devins get universal praise for obvious reasons, Bennett fulfilled expectations in his first exposure to actually playing and Johnny Knox came on real strong in his rookie year. There's not a lot of track record, but there's been glimpses from all of them for tremendous potential. There's also Iglesias who we really have no idea bout, but someone though he had the potential to be drafted as high as he was. I'm really hoping to start to see him this season, but the top 3 are almost certainly Hester, Knox, Bennett. I've heard so little about Iglesias, that I'm concerned he may not make the team. I've heard his name quite a bit as a guy expected to do what Bennett did last year. As for the top 3, I would not lock in Knox and Bennett above Aroma. He's got as good a shot as any to be the go to guy.

I'd love to do both, but I'm not sure it's going to be possible. If Hendry did turn around those two for salary relief and prospects, I'd be impressed.

I don't find it laughable since pretty much the entire organization has been gushing about the WR since the middle of last year. The Devins get universal praise for obvious reasons, Bennett fulfilled expectations in his first exposure to actually playing and Johnny Knox came on real strong in his rookie year. There's not a lot of track record, but there's been glimpses from all of them for tremendous potential. I think there's a lot riding on Aromashadu though, since he's really the only big receiver we have. And of course, the o-line to give the receivers time to run routes. Oh yeah, it's all a big risk. Althoug I'd have to say my concern still lies much more heavily with the line than the receivers. Lines and QBs can make or break receivers. I don't think many receivers can get the job done without them.

I don't find it laughable since pretty much the entire organization has been gushing about the WR since the middle of last year. The Devins get universal praise for obvious reasons, Bennett fulfilled expectations in his first exposure to actually playing and Johnny Knox came on real strong in his rookie year. There's not a lot of track record, but there's been glimpses from all of them for tremendous potential.

Yeah, I got the reference, just though I missed the chock full.

Huh?

Maybe I wasn't reading close enough, but I saw 1.