jersey cubs fan

I don't see why he should be bashed for it. He came up short in 3 games, but that happens. Go ahead and lament his lack of timely hitting, but bashing him? I see no point in that.

In all fairness, they got the 6th best NL OPS out of RF this year. Granted, teams 6-10 were all closely bunched, but the Cubs biggest holes were SS, C and CF. If they can get an impact RF, I'm all for it.

The Cubs were at or near the bottom in production from SS, C and CF. And if they can't pull off the ARod miracle, I would try really hard to trade the farm for Cabrera to fill RF. SS is not the only opportunity.

Well, I guess it's good to find out early what the talking points are going to be for the fans who turn on the next young Cubs player to be thrust into the spotlight.

I'm not so sure about this with respect to Kendall, depending on what type of FA designation he gets. Lots of teams need catchers and love having veterans behind the dish. If he gets Type A, a team that sees this upcoming draft as not being particularly deep would be fine plunking down some change for Kendall instead of sinking that money into a draft pick. If he gets Type B, nobody loses a draft pick and it might make him easier to move. Is there any chance he gets Type A? He was one of the worst catchers in baseball this year, and he's been pretty bad for a few years now. I know the rankings aren't all that logical, and that weak guys get ranked higher than expected. But I can't imagine any scenario in which Kendall gets rated a Type A, and some team is stupid enough to sign him before the Cubs have to offer arbitration.

Sure it is, I don't see them having the resources to make any big splashes until they trade for someone like Renteria. Which I don't consider that big, unless you expect to contribute like he did last year compared to his career norms. Yeah, unfortunately with the ownership situation and Hendry's ability as a GM, treading water is probably the most we can hope for at this time. Some people will act as though this was a good team and that treading water would be fine. Unfortunately, they are going to have to rely on the weakness of the competition if they want to sniff the postseason again. The four biggest chances for internal improvement are: 1. Pie playing well in centerfield, holding his own with a 750 or better OPS. That would lift the Cubs CF production from the bottom to the middle of the NL pack, and the improved defense for a full season would be a bonus. 2. Murton getting full-time duty in RF and responding with an 850 or better OPS. The Cubs were 6th in the NL in RF OPS this year, but it was a tight race between team 6-10. 850 likely puts them in the top 2-3 teams, and Murton is clearly capable of such numbers. Whether or not he's given a chance, or responds to that chance is to be determined. 3. Soto building on his remarkable 2007 season and putting up some solid numbers in 100 or more starts behind the plate next season. The Cubs were 14 out of 16 NL teams in catcher OPS with a line of .239/.304/.369. If Blanco is the backup, his line is going to look something like that, or worse. So, if Soto can OPS 740 or higher, or possibly even flirt with an 800 (a big if, but one that doesn't look unreasonable), the Cubs may move from bottom of the barrel in catcher production to upper half of the league. 4. Prior starting 20+ games at a reasonably effective level. This may be the longest reach. The chances of seeing 2002/2003 Prior are slim and none, but if Prior can give the Cubs 20 starts at or about the level he pitched at in 2004/2005, ideally starting with the big club by late May and lasting all year, it could be a major improvement if it replaces the kind of junk they were getting from Marquis and Trachsel late in 2007.

anybody gritty whose game goes beyond the stats.

Rozner is scum. He picks a target and just rags and rags at every turn. He's been on Ramirez for a few years now. I couldn't even get through that column it was so pathetic. I'm sure he called Maddux on his mobile phone to get that great man's opinion on the matter though.

Oh Jimmy, you're so great, I really appreciate everything you did. You're a genius. The rosters you've put together over the years have been tremendous, it's just a shame the players completely underperformed from where you knew they should perform.

I was just in London last weekend, and I've got to say, the beer is potent.

They may or may not start that low, but the only possible way they score "a lot more runs" is if they go out and get a stud somewhere. This lineup is what it is. I really don't understand how anybody could say they were "under productive". They weren't productive because they aren't productive, not because of some fluke.

we've got a lot of baseball left.

Not to mention, the threat of him using his right to demand a trade/free agency after year 1 would actually work in the team's favor.

We got swept in that series too didn't we? you're missing the point -- Enrique knew the stadium the rest of the team blew it for him God Bless Dusty Baker. I actually heard him say on the radio during the Indians Yankees game that he had managed twice in the World Series. Both times Lofton was on his team. You know with the Giants and Cubs. HAH, I heard that too. That's the difference between normal people like us exaggerating our accomplishments and someone like him doing it. I was saying the same thing to Scarlett Johansson while having sex with her last night.

I agree. I could almost see the Cubs and Blanco coming to a buyout decision with Henry moving into some sort of coaching position, possibly instructing minor league catchers or as a bullpen coach. I would definitely settle for that sort of $700,000 catching situation, if it means investing millions in a real bat elsewhere. I doubt that happens. The Cubs are stuck with Blanco, period. You won't see any buyouts at a discounted price. Most likely, but there's something about the Blanco story that just makes me think the guy is really considering retirement. He doesnt' want to just give up all that money, but if he can get 80% of it without doing the work of a player, while still maintaining a positive relationship with the Cubs so he can get into the coaching fast track, maybe he'd choose that path.

I really like the idea of Pie and Murton in the OF with Soto behind the plate, a rotation that includes Hill and possibly Marshall, a bench that includes Theriot and Fontenot, and a bullpen with Marmol and maybe a guy like Hart. That's a lot of payroll cleared up for a SS upgrade. I don't see alot of payroll being cleared up. They owe an additional 20 mil worth of salary to Z, Soriano, Ramirez, Lilly, Marquis, and Derosa compared to '07. That's more than salaries of the FAs that would leave. They'd have to unload salary to take on additional salary. They already have to have a large increase to keep a somewhat similar roster, adding someone like Renteria/Tejada, without them taking on salary doesn't seem like it fits. Which is unfort. b/c this team is still one (great/Arod) to 3 (good) players from becoming good enough to contend. I would strongly consider dealing away Jones. I think Marquis might actually be tradeable. And a black horse candidate for money saving potential is DeRosa. He's had a nice year, but nice isn't what this team needs. He's basically a slightly over 100 OPS+ guy the last two years, but a bit below for his career. He'll be 33 as well. I don't think he's a lock to repeated his 2007, in which case, I'm not convinced the Cubs would be unable to get similar production out of Patterson, Theriot, Fontenot, Cedeno. Plus, I think DeRosa would actually be valued relatively high on the trade market, as opposed to being a salary dump. They could actually get something for him, and save some millions in return to spend on a real SS, RF or CF.

When was the most recent of those 33 plate appearances? Those are probably all Pittsburgh numbers. Kendall Vs. Hernandez by Year Year PA AB H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO BA OBP SLG OPS +----+---+---+---+--+--+--+---+---+---+-----+-----+-----+-----+ 1997 2 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 .000 .000 .000 .000 1998 7 6 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 .333 .429 .333 .762 1999 4 3 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 .333 .500 .333 .833 2000 2 2 1 0 1 0 1 0 0 .500 .500 1.500 2.000 2001 4 4 2 1 0 0 1 0 0 .500 .500 .750 1.250 2002 4 4 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 .250 .250 .250 .500 2003 3 3 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 .333 .333 .333 .666 2004 3 3 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 .333 .333 .333 .666 2005 4 4 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 .500 .500 .500 1.000 +----+---+---+---+--+--+--+---+---+---+-----+-----+-----+-----+ TOT 33 31 11 1 1 0 3 1 1 .355 .394 .452 .846 Pittsburgh up until 2004. Oakland in 2005. Right up to the point where his career ended. Nice. I'm predicting Hill throws a shutout and the Cubs win and Lou gets credit for going all veteran savvy and all.

better be 100%. But I'd say they are pretty good, at least. Yeah, I really have no idea. I could see somebody with authority thinking, "The key to the success of 2007 was forgetting about Prior and Wood, so let's just be done with it and let him go." I could see somebody say, "I'm not going to be suckered into losing money on a guy like that and I don't care if he does well elsewhere." I could also see them being 100% committed to trying to get the most out of him. It's like most things involving the offseason, depends on the sale. I'm hoping for 75%, but I'm worried it's no better than 50/50.

I don't understand why fans of other teams just hate the Cubs so much. The Cubs haven't done anything in 60+ years....you would think that would cause people to feel at least a little bit sympathetic. I admit, I did feel a little satisfaction when the Red Sox won it all, cause a lot of their fans have waited so long and suffered through so much. But nobody feels that way with the Cubs? Sheesh. Cubs fans tend to dominate the atmosphere wherever they play. Personally, I completely understand why that would piss off the home fans. In fact, I was pissed off at TBS for how much they played up the "Cubs fans will dominate here tonight" storyline before game 1, when it was clear AZ fans outnumbered and out yelled by a very wide margin. I've been going to road games since the mid 90's. It used to be that people would say, "wow, that's cool that you guys come out and support your team here in NY (or philly, or pittsburgh, or Colorado, or Atlanta, etc). But it started turning into a "let's get a loud Cubs chant going to try and embarrass the locals", and as the team became more relevent, the fans became louder, and the locals became less enthusiastic about their presence.

Just like the Cubs would destroy the Dbacks? The Dbacks are for real, it will be a hell of a series. They aren't for real. Gimme a break. That series would go 5 games at best. LOL How in the hell can you say they arent for real after they have kicked the Cubs asses the 1st 2 games of this season. They won 90 games, and have completely dominated this series, so you gimme a break. The problem is you are pretending beating the Cubs is any sort of accomplishment. The Cubs were the worst of any NL contender this year, aside from MIL. Just because AZ can handle the Cubs doesn't mean they've accomplished much.

The camera probably focused on him for a good 3-4 seconds, but I'm pretty sure Dick Stockton had no idea who it was, as he never mentioned him. He did mention earlier things like, "That's Soto on the right." when they showed Murton and Soto in the dugout. But he was just silent this time.

I past two seasons I thought we dodged a bullet with Furcal signing with the Dodgers. The Dodgers would have to eat 40-50% of that contract to make it worth it. His power has died to a point where him and Theriot could have a HR hitting contest with each other. I would rather go for Orlando Cabrera with Brandon Wood waiting in the wings for the Angles. It's definitely an interesting name, but not one I've ever been interested in. Furcal repeating a career year would help this team, but it still leaves them lacking that impact bat they need, and as was noted above, he's way too expensive.

fixd. no, they'll just swing

swing

Exactly. That's the type of reaction you see in the Little League World Series from 10 year old, not a grown up MLB player. If a White Sox or Cards player threw his glove down like Lilly, this thread would be over 30 pages long and ripping the dude to shreds. I'm just not hooking into this one. I couldn't disagree with you more. I don't see the big deal. I doubt a Cards/Sox player doing this would garner more than a couple snide remarks in the game thread. The over-reaction of Lilly to giving up basically a season-ending 3 run jack is far suprassed by the over-reaction on this board today, IMO. Considering how mixed the reaction to this storyline is, I'd have to say that's no where near accurate.