jersey cubs fan

Okay that makes even less sense now. What did he say? it says he grew up in jersey, i'm assuming that's why he's a giants fan. and uses the term skyball. No, I understood that he lived in Jersey, what I don't understand is the meaning he attaches to skyball. I've lived in Jersey for 10 years and have been around north and south jersey for 14 and I've never heard the phrase. I also don't know any Giants fans from Jersey. Every Giants fan I know is from NY or PA. Jersey is jetsland, outside the southern part, as you well know.

this guy reminds me of Neifi

Well, they just agree with Warner yesterday or today. They've had no time to try and deal him, and the draft is over a month away. The fact that it hasn't been reported that they haven't tried yet tells me absolutely nothing. As comfortable as they may appear to be, they still have to deal with the Boldin situation, and figure out a way to add something to the defense. Teams coming off deep playoff runs run across all sorts of salary demands and cap issues. Arizona may seem fine with their situation now, and they may eventually stay that way. But paying that much money to your backup, when your starter makes as much as Warner and you have huge money tied up in receiver, can be tricky.

This seems like really weird reasoning. He was a rookie QB who was unimpressive, but hardly incompetent. He got beat out by a potential Hall of Fame QB. He's not going to get a chance to earn any of his incentives, and he's not going to get a chance to earn a big free agent contract when this one ends. He can be cut at anytime. If he asks to be traded and another GM holds that against him and tries to equate it to being a malcontent, well, that's an unreasonable person.

Would the other teams do it though? Right now he's an apparent busted pick who can't get off the bench against a (granted, very talented) 40-year-old QB. If he starts pitching a fit because he's not earning a chance, would other teams jump at acquiring a malcontent apparent busted pick who can't get off the bench against a (granted, very talented) 40-year-old QB? I really doubt they'd give an early pick. I realize he's stuck on the bench now, but I think the chances are high that he would piss off more teams than he would entice by whining now. Warner's earned his starting jobs, but Leinart hasn't played particularly well. I doubt teams would be turned off by a QB in his situation asking for a trade. You can ask for that trade without being a complete malcontent. He's in a bad situation, because he's going to hit free agency without any playing time under his belt. Playing the good guy isn't going to drive up his eventual price, the only way he can do that is by playing right now. AZ has a ton of cash tied up in QB, and will have a ton tied into WR. They should be motivated to deal the guy. Given Warner's health, it could be enticing to keep a guy like Leinart around to backup, but that's a luxury at this point. As a Bears fan, would you trade for Leinart, assuming a reasonable cost? Yes. I would like to see him trying to steal Orton's job, and hopefully pushing Kyle, than just about any other rumored QB. His numbers are unimpressive, but he's only had about a season's worth of games under his belt, primarily as a rookie.

Would the other teams do it though? Right now he's an apparent busted pick who can't get off the bench against a (granted, very talented) 40-year-old QB. If he starts pitching a fit because he's not earning a chance, would other teams jump at acquiring a malcontent apparent busted pick who can't get off the bench against a (granted, very talented) 40-year-old QB? I really doubt they'd give an early pick. I realize he's stuck on the bench now, but I think the chances are high that he would piss off more teams than he would entice by whining now. Warner's earned his starting jobs, but Leinart hasn't played particularly well. I doubt teams would be turned off by a QB in his situation asking for a trade. You can ask for that trade without being a complete malcontent. He's in a bad situation, because he's going to hit free agency without any playing time under his belt. Playing the good guy isn't going to drive up his eventual price, the only way he can do that is by playing right now. AZ has a ton of cash tied up in QB, and will have a ton tied into WR. They should be motivated to deal the guy. Given Warner's health, it could be enticing to keep a guy like Leinart around to backup, but that's a luxury at this point.

I caught the last two swings out of the corner of my eye and had no idea who that was at the plate. But I could tell he wasn't a major leaguer.

Okay that makes even less sense now. What did he say?

Is he a Giants fan? How did that happen? Just make the pick.

fuld goes full count, fouls a couple off and walks on a close one high

MLB Network is airing this game, will it be the WGN feed or another crew?

I'm not sure about that goal. Why not draft offensive line? Mainly because as far down as the Bears will be picking, there probably won't be an impact lineman that can step right in and start. If there is one, then by all means, pick him up. But, I think the focus of the draft should be on defense, and then look to improve the offense through free agency. The Bears are definitely not going to land a stud receiver through the draft, so they need to push for one of these big name guys that still has a bit left in the tank. Any first round offensive lineman should have the ability to come in and start from day 1. And as much as it would be nice to find the next impact Bears defender in the first, at least the defense has starting caliber guys at every position, including multiple pro bowlers. The offensive line has backups and backup caliber players at multiple spots. They don't have the bodies to field an offensive line at this point. They have a reputation of doing well drafting defenders, but save for Tommie Harris, they haven't had luck drafting them early. Michael Haynes, Tank Johnson, Danieal Manning and Dan Bazuin haven't exactly justified their picks. Add to that another 2nd round, Hester, who was drafted as a DBack but has had his success only as a returner and WR. I don't think they are any better equipped to draft defense in that first round. If anything, they might stand a better chance drafting guys who can contribute in the 3rd or 4th round. There biggest weaknesses remain on the offensive side of the ball, and I think line is an obvious choice.

I'm not sure about that goal. Why not draft offensive line?

When will The Sports Guy write that he believes this is a hush-hush suspension by Bud Selig?

I'm not sure he feels confident enough to go out and scout other FAs vs. his own. I doubt that is the issue. Angelo prefers to build his team through the draft and pay his own players before they hit free agency. But he's spent big on Moose and Tait, and paid Wale when he was holding out from his other team. Of those three, Moose was the only one I'd think is remotely close to being a "big name" free agent, and that's really stretching the definition imo. Well he was certainly a big name, not as big as TO, but TO isn't as big now as TO was a couple years ago. Tait was a very big name offensive lineman at the time, and the Bears overpaid because they were desperate for line help. Ogunleye wasn't a top notch end, but he was a Pro Bowler coming off a huge season looking for big money that his team wasn't willing to offer. The Bears were very hungry for pass rush help and made the deal. They've gone outside the organization for help at positions they were desperate for in the past, and they've paid guys more than they were worth (none of them took discounts to come to Chicago). I highly doubt TO gets top notch WR money at this point. He's no longer the player he once way. But I bet he'd take 2nd tier money in the right situation, and the right situation probably involves going to a team where he is the clear number 1 guy.

Spreading touches between TO, Moss and Welker seems like it could be a tough fit. Winning, along with a strong chance of going undefeated, cures a lot of those ills. Especially when you have Belichek to lay the smack down if needed. And I could be wrong, but I don't think Welker is as demanding about getting the ball. He seems to just enjoy playing and wants to win - a true gritty team player. Yes, Welker is white. But it's not about him whining, it's about him getting 100 catches, Moss getting 90, and then TO what? TO caused trouble when Philly was winning and when Dallas was winning. The key to TO is making him the focal point and winning. TO would be the 3rd option in New England.

I'm not sure he feels confident enough to go out and scout other FAs vs. his own. I doubt that is the issue. Angelo prefers to build his team through the draft and pay his own players before they hit free agency. But he's spent big on Moose and Tait, and paid Wale when he was holding out from his other team.

Well yeah, their production is evenly spread out, but none of it is really that great. It seems like they have a bunch of complimentary type players, at least that's the way they performed last year. They don' really have a meat of the order. Loney was under a .340 OBP last year, and Casey Blake was just .313 for them last year. He's .334 career and is already 35. Those guys make lots of outs. Furcal is a post 30 middle infielder with some mixed results and health issues in his history who could be a mediocre player. Hudson is another post-30 middle infielder who isn't a 162 game type player and hasn't been a stand-out. They were 13th in the NL in runs scored last year, and while Manny will make a difference he's not going to SLG 700 for them again, and they still play in Dodger Stadium. They aren't what I'd call stacked, although they should be good. I'd hate to face a Manny team in the playoffs again.

They're talking about it on Sportscenter right now. Which only reports facts.

I dunno that the Bears are good. As a 9-7 team where a quality WR could make a big difference, I think they qualify as good, and a good fit.

Spreading touches between TO, Moss and Welker seems like it could be a tough fit.

I've heard people talking New England, but Moss/TO does not sound like it will work well. Minnesota could work well, depending on the history between TO and Childress. But with all that money invested in Berrian last year, it would seem a bit odd. The biggest problem with the Bears is an unstable QB situation and the fact that Lovie pretty much lets these guys do whatever they want. There is no discipline. Angelo has shown a willingness to make big investments in free agency (Tait, Moose) and has traded for other people's holdouts (Adawale). But they seem intent on bringing back the status quo this year. Maybe it was a ploy while awaiting the TO decision. But if there was one thing they needed to get in free agency this year, it was impact WR. This would allow them to take a WR in the 2nd or 3rd instead, and concentrate on line help.

At the time of the signing, Abreu would have wanted the same years and money. So the question is not would you rather have Abreu for 1 year, the question is would Hendry have been OK starting the season with Hoffpauir in RF and trying to trade for someone later on if necessary. This is absurd. Who cares what he wanted? What matters is what the actual market was. A lot of guys didn't get what they wanted because the demand for their services just wasn't there. Once the Yankees and Cubs made their moves, nobody was out there signing. If the Cubs don't sign Bradley, they could have had any of these other guys for less. That being said, we know all this about Bradley. You hope he can play 300 games over the next three years, and be ready for the playoffs. That probably means lots of off-days in April and May, again in September, and potentially a missing month in between.

I'd be all over the TO situation. There is very little to lose. It's not like they have a lot invested in the QB and will fear crazy Owens ruining the guy. TO had a ton of options the past few years, and probably felt great freedom to act however he wanted. He didn't fit in all that well in Dallas, but a big part of that was he wasn't the big guy, he split that identity with several others. I know the Bears don't have the balls to make such a move, but TO would be the only big time receiver on the field, and the only guy capable of giving space to Hester. Orton can give him the ball early and often without fearing others demanding touches. His presence on the field could probably make Orton, Hester, Forte and Olsen all significantly better players. Teams will not be able to go 8 in the box every play and tee-off on Forte. They have the cap space, and they don't have big money invested anywhere else on offense. TO's career is going to end in a couple years, and he will probably be motivated to make a positive impact on the field. I'd take the gamble on some sort of 3 year deal big signifint upfront guarantees, as well as financial incentives to keep him interested in producing right away to get paid next year.

It would be nice to have another shortstop in the Cubs system, even if he isn't left handed.