jersey cubs fan

Aren't most people predicting a winning record and an outside chance? That's still very diappointing from where this team should be. That was 2009. I did get excited for last night's game since it was the first I was able to watch all of on my couch without interruptions, and I'm as susceptible to the short-term emotions of wins and losses as anybody.

I don't get this reasoning. There's no reason why we should see a large improvement in hitting. It's possible, but I wouldn't count on it. The default position for Cubs' lineups is weak. They have several weaknesses still, and their best hitters are old. Discounting a lack of production last year due to injuries to oft-injured players is no way to justify the statement that the offense should be better. The middle infield is weak. Catcher is a big question. Soto is no lock to make a significant step forward, and the backup C is as bad a hitter as you can find in baseball. Marlon Byrd was a huge bust until arriving in Texas in his last 20's. , and he took a step back in his third season there when he played his most time. The bench is not particularly strong. There's one guy who can be considered an asset, but he's coming off major surgery. Everybody but Aramis Ramirez is capable of playing a full season while being fairly unproductive. They've all done it at various points of their careers, and not just in weird age 23 seasons or anything like that. They've got a bunch of 33/34 year old players who don't have a consistent track record of tremendous success. Expecting those players to be better simply because they were at some point earlier in their career is delusional. It might happen. But there's a really good chance it does not happen. There's no "should" about it when it comes to major improvements in the offense.

Not completely untradable, but his no trade rights make it virtually so. You don't think he would have some interest in moving to a contender at the deadline if the Cubs were out of it? (I expect the Cubs to re-sign him anyway, though.) It's possible, but he also already has a WS ring and multiple playoff appearances. He's not desperate to play for a winner. And his NTC (or 10/5 rights) makes him less valuable in a trade since it may force a team to offer an extension to get him. There's probably not much point in trading him, you'd probably be better off with an arbitration offer and taking him back for one year or getting picks.

To the pain

That's probably an unnecessary overreaction. Really? Unless the tailor was in his or her very first day on the job, how do you misspell the name of a team that has been playing in the same city for the past 52 years now? It makes your team look bush league. So you want that locker room attendant to lose his probably very mediocre paying job for a misplaced letter on a uniform (something that happens every year to multiple teams) because it makes them look bush league even if they have several highly compensated players with guaranteed contracts who make bush league plays all season long?

Not completely untradable, but his no trade rights make it virtually so. ](*,) forgot about that. while we're on the subject, what do y'all think will happen with lee after this season? i don't know if resigning a player his age is a great move, but there isn't a logical in-house replacement at this point. Maybe I'm making this up but it seems to me that Hendry's MO has been to extend guys in April/May, so perhaps that will happen here, otherwise I think he's still staying simply because of the complete lack of replacements and "good guy" status that Lee holds in the organization.

We appreciate your vigilance erik.

Not completely untradable, but his no trade rights make it virtually so.

Less talky more picky.

That's probably an unnecessary overreaction.

Lee is every bit as good as he used to be. He only had that one standout monster season, and last year was probably his second best.

In honor of NY lottery spokeswoman Yolanda Vega, the Giants take Rolando McClain.

He is in the fairway.

I wasn't really excited about the season until the morning of opening day, and the first inning. But the rest of the game, off day and then follow-up loss kind of took away the minimal excitement I had. I am looking forward to the summer more for playing with my daughter on the beach than anything else.

7 guys tied at -2, including the previously mentioned plus Toms and Watson. Tiger tees off in about 1.5 hours, I read something about ESPN being able to air that live despite not going fully live until 4.

Considering how bad he was last year, I think that Soto can be counted on to be at least as good as last year. Right, you could count on him to be a bit better, but better than awful doesn't make you a star.

This team has been a bad hitting team for the better part of a decade. 2008 was the outlier season, but ever other year they were either mediocre or terrible. They have absolutely zero pre-prime or prime stars whom you could count on to be as good or better than last year. Their best hitters are old and/or physically questionable. On the other hand, for the past decade they have been mostly a good and sometimes great pitching team. I think it's quite possible the pitching will let them down this year, but there's at least as much reason to worry that the offense once again comes up short.

Limited television coverage early on thanks to those crazy old southern blue bloods. But it's worth paying attention nonetheless. http://www.masters.com/en_US/about/schedule.html Langer and Marino are currently tied for the lead at -3.

I'm sure he applauded at all the appropriate times too.

$10m. Give him 2 years at the minimum of $400k, then a bump in his 3rd and his only and only free agent contract, at 30, would only have to be for $8m to match his MLB money. Obviously if he shows some more ability in baseball he can make more here, but I'm talking about if he continues to suck. Chicago won't exercise those options.

no wonder chicago couldn't trade Brown, he reportedly just signed for 2/6m with the saints

non-premium? pointless ranking.

I doubt he would have to go through the draft, but that makes very little difference to the my point. He wouldn't sign a blockbuster free agent contract anyway. My point is he could get back into the sport.

What constitutes "entering a draft"? Underage players have to declare, but I'm guessing any senior is just in it automatically.

I don't think anyone is allowed to skip the draft. There have been people who didn't play college football who have been drafted and others who have signed as undrafted free agents. I don't know of anybody who's been able to come right off the street and sign as a free agent though. They could be out there, but I've never heard of it. If players could skip the draft I'd think more would as a means to get a bidding war started. Or guys who expect to go in the later round might skip it in order to have more flexibility in who they sign with. I don't know for sure, though. Except teams would just take them. Teams didn't waste a pick on him because they knew he had a big MLB contract that forbade playing football for several years.