ChiCubsFan

actualyl, just pin this one on lou. howry is pitching for the third straight day and came in with runners on. eyre was being used for a 3rd inning out of the pen which should *never* happen. good point This is on Lou...what in the sam hell was he thinking sending Eyre out for a THIRD inning? He hasn't made 3 scoreless consecutive appearances All freakin year...why in the heck did he think he'd do it 3 times in one game...it was stupid and is going to cost us this game....my god is it frustrating. Howry came in with the TYING run on the on deck circle. Not a great situation, but certainly one that he should have been able to get out of fairly easy.

Yep. Now I don't think Lou handled things as well as he could have, but that's a ridiculous statement. 8-3 in the 8th. He's been with 10 pitchers the past few days and doesn't have a whole lot of options. He was trying to get Eyre through the game with a huge lead. Once Eyre gets hit, he brings in the new closer and he gets hit too. Not much he could do. He didn't want to have to use Marmol again because he's been using him so often and Marmol has been starting for awhile and probably shouldn't be pitching every single game. I blame this on Howry. Eyre got hit to start the 9th but Howry should have came in and stopped the bleading. If you don't want to blame it on him, then blame it on Hendry. Make a frickin move to bring up a pitcher.

You have got to be Fing kididng me!

I actually think this is going to happen now. When superstars want out, they usually get their way. I'm hoping it's Gordon, TT, Duhon (to balance salary), 9th pick. Maybe Noc gets included in there too. Hinrich Kobe Deng Noc Wallace Not bad...if Noc goes, we really need a big man. Even if he stays we need a big man. You could also bring in Thabo off the bench and put Kobe at the 3 and Deng at the 4 when you wanna go small. We definitely need some bench help, but I think Kobe and Deng together puts you in the finals.

Tulowitzki has been awful this year, granted he has big upside. Theriot and Tulowitzki have virtually been the same plyer, except Tulowitzki has hit a couple more dingers and Theriot has stolen more bases. Adding Tulowitzki would be a wash with the way he's playing right now, we might as well keep Theirot at SS and Fontenot at 2B. Plus if we trade Barrett we need a bat to supplement the loss of power from his position, and Hawpe fits the bill as well as the debacle in RF, and I'd miuch rather have Hawpe and his 139OPS+ over Tulowitzki's 84OPS+ Considering Tulowitzki was called up last season, the Cubs would have him under their control for a considerable amount of time. He also skipped AAA altogether, so some of his development time went flying out the window. He'll get better with time. I'd do Jones + Barrett for Tulo in a heartbeat. However, something tells me that's not going to happen. The Rockies have a pretty good system talent-wise, although many of them have been struggling or putting up unimpressive numbers on the season with a few exceptions (Greg Reynolds). Plus, the team has shown a complete blasé attitude about throwing around cash towards players who don't deserve it...so something tells me money wouldn't be a factor in terms of acquiring talent. I think they'd make a good trade partner. Franklin Morales, please. I think he might be hurt right now, though. Morales or Tulowitski would be nice, but there's zero chance of it happening.

wow, that just enhanced my buzz.

I wouldn't mind losing TT if need be. TT, Gordon, 9th pick, Duhon? I don't know if that gets it done. I guess it matters how bad Kobe really wants out. A lot of people think it will cost Gordon and Deng. If that's the case, I'd pass.

Who's the Dolphins fan? Is that Raw?

Nice. Let's hope he keeps it up.

He's had less than 75 ABs in his major league career, and he's only 22 years old. To add to that, he's hitting between Alfonso Soriano and Derrek Lee. I doubt the opposing pitcher is going to be too careful pitching to Pie. You can't force the opposing pitcher to walk you. He's had some very nice ABs so far. The broken bat RBI hit into right field a few days ago was probably the best AB any Cub has had this year. He worked the count to 3-2 then fouled off about 8 pitches before finally muscling the ball into right for the RBI. He then proceeded to stretch the single into a double on one of the best arms in the league. The kid is going to be good. At worst he'll be an average offensive CF with excellent defense and speed. Now that's not what I want from him, but that's the floor with him. Just calm down and let him play. i just said that despite his defense, despite his speed, despite his "clutchness", if he doesn't take some walks, he'll never be a consistent productive player in the league. and that would be a failing. there are plenty of players who hit between 2 excellent hitters and still draw walks. and the plate appearance you're speaking of, he fouled off plenty of ball 4's. you can't be afraid to strike out as a major league player. i don't care what the results are right now, they're bound to be negative over the course of a major league season. I never said that Pie is never going to be able to take a walk because of the guys he's hitting between. I said that right now it's going to be hard for him to draw a walk. Opposing pitchers are going to be very aggressive with him and attack him in the strike zone. Eventually, pitchers are going to have to work harder to get him out and pitch more to the edges of the strike zone. That's when you'll begin to see the walks increase. I agree with you that he needs to draw more walks to be a consistent offensive force in this league, but you can't force the opposing pitcher to throw balls. And about that AB...there were some pitches in the sequence that would have been ball 4, but they were all too close to take. With 2 strikes you have to protect the plate. That's what Pie did. So far I love what I see from Pie. He's been hitting well and I think his patience at the plate has been okay, despite what the IsoD numbers say.

He's had less than 75 ABs in his major league career, and he's only 22 years old. To add to that, he's hitting between Alfonso Soriano and Derrek Lee. I doubt the opposing pitcher is going to be too careful pitching to Pie. You can't force the opposing pitcher to walk you. He's had some very nice ABs so far. The broken bat RBI hit into right field a few days ago was probably the best AB any Cub has had this year. He worked the count to 3-2 then fouled off about 8 pitches before finally muscling the ball into right for the RBI. He then proceeded to stretch the single into a double on one of the best arms in the league. The kid is going to be good. At worst he'll be an average offensive CF with excellent defense and speed. Now that's not what I want from him, but that's the floor with him. Just calm down and let him play.

Lol, Z for Salty then in the offseason sign Z again. Hmm....

Why not just trade Z for another player we need and then sign Arod after he opts out. I'd have to think with Lou here, we'd have a leg up on signing him (as long as the new owner will allow the payroll increase) True true However, any way that A-Rod is acquired is fine by me. Just thinking about the upgrade from Izturis to A-Rod is nuts. I hope he can still play short though...

Why not just trade Z for another player we need and then sign Arod after he opts out. I'd have to think with Lou here, we'd have a leg up on signing him (as long as the new owner will allow the payroll increase)

Mmm...Teixeira. Let's do it. 2008 Lineup: LF Soriano 2B Patterson 1B Lee RF Teixeira 3B Ramirez SS Theriot CF Pie C Fox? EDIT: Actually expand the payroll and sign ARod for SS after he opts out. Soriano Lee Arod Teixeria Ramirez Patterson Pie Fox? Nice to dream. Best 1-5 ever assembled.

That's ridiculous if he sits out every road game if he's within 1 of the record. That's putting a personal achievement above the success of the team.

I would have to say B. Although, I'm not a huge fan of Penny, Votto should be quite good for years to come. Billingsley has been screwed around and his performance has suffered. McCutchen is really young and has struggled mightily so far this year. Hes extremely toolsy and hence has been way high up on prospect lists, but he could flare out. Tejada...well he could collapse at any time now. Looks like you should have stellar pitching as early as next year. Penny and Capuano is pretty much a coin toss. As much as I'm not a huge fan of Penny, I'd probably still take him over Capuano. Although I think Penny probably has more trade value. Yeah, I think the guy I want most is Joey Votto. I have Fielder at 1B but Votto would make a nice Util/IF starter. If I got Penny, I'd probably try to flip him to another team for a younger starter/prospect. Thanks for the advice.

My definition is two or more seasons in a row with a sub .400 winning percentage. I reserve the term for the truly atrocious teams. Missing the playoffs in back to back seasons seems like it should be the bare minimum but that seems harsh to me. I wouldn't say the Hornets suck, for instance. I brought it up in response to your best player in the league rationale for evaluating the Lakers and Bulls identical results differently. Did you even read my post? I evaluted those seasons differently for a bunch of reasons, none of which had to do with Kobe Bryant. To sum up my previous post, the Bulls were a much younger team and played against a much better team. Yeah, the Suns are very good, but the Heat were the NBA champions. Also, the Bulls had more optimism heading into the future, not only because of the youth, but also because of a high draft pick and being fortunate enough to be in the Eastern Conference. I'm not arguing Bulls versus Lakers. I only brought it up because of your original statement that missing the playoffs one year followed by two consecutive exits in the first round means a team sucks. We've since learned that's not always the case, and it turns out there are lots of reasons you're down on LA. That's great. I agree with some of them. I'm done arguing semantics with you. I provided my definition of an NBA team that sucks per your request in my previous post and you ignored it. I think it's a fair one, and the Lakers don't come close to fitting it. Will they end up sucking if they don't sell off their best player for less than his full value? I suspect we'll get to find out. Fair enough.

My definition is two or more seasons in a row with a sub .400 winning percentage. I reserve the term for the truly atrocious teams. Missing the playoffs in back to back seasons seems like it should be the bare minimum but that seems harsh to me. I wouldn't say the Hornets suck, for instance. I brought it up in response to your best player in the league rationale for evaluating the Lakers and Bulls identical results differently. Did you even read my post? I evaluted those seasons differently for a bunch of reasons, none of which had to do with Kobe Bryant. To sum up my previous post, the Bulls were a much younger team and played against a much better team. Yeah, the Suns are very good, but the Heat were the NBA champions. Also, the Bulls had more optimism heading into the future, not only because of the youth, but also because of a high draft pick and being fortunate enough to be in the Eastern Conference.

Ah, so there's more to sucking than losing in the first round of the playoffs for 2 straight years and the year before that not even making the playoffs then. Of course. Don't be so pompous. For a team with the best player in the league, what the Lakers have done the past 3 years, I would consider sucking. I was talking about the Lakers. Not the Bulls, whose oldest player last year (that was a major contributor) was probably around 25 years old. Grow a thicker skin. The Tiberwolves fit your description. They have a top five player on the roster and they suck year after year. The Lakers are not a elite team by any means, but they don't suck, and it's hyperbolic to suggest they do. Well then explain the definition of "suck". I don't know why you brought up the T-Wolves, but yeah, they suck as well. Edit: Maybe you meant to show how the TWolves have a top player but suck more than the Lakers. The reasoning behind that is that the Lakers suck less. Nonetheless, they still suck.

Ah, so there's more to sucking than losing in the first round of the playoffs for 2 straight years and the year before that not even making the playoffs then. Of course. Don't be so pompous. For a team with the best player in the league, what the Lakers have done the past 3 years, I would consider sucking. I was talking about the Lakers. Not the Bulls, whose oldest player last year (that was a major contributor) was probably around 25 years old.

A little strong. Did you think the Bulls sucked after they were eliminated by Miami last year? That's not comparable. The Bulls lost to the eventual NBA champs and put up a good fight against them. They also showed a lot of improvement that season when compared to the previous 2. Also, there was a lot of optimism surrounding the Bulls because they were a young team that was going to get better, had a high draft pick, and played in the much weaker Eastern conference. None of that could be said about the Lakers.

I'd bench him for the time being. If there is a FA available that you really want to pick up, I wouldn't be opposed to dropping Bush.

Well then he's not going to get traded and the Lakers are going to suck forever. Sounds good to me. The former is certainly true. The latter very well may be too (if you consider losing in the first round of the playoffs sucking). The Lakers do have a couple movable pieces that could net a player that would push them to the upper tier of the NBA. Hope it doesn't happen, though. I do consider losing in the first round of the playoffs for 2 straight years and the year before that not even making the playoffs sucking. I'd like to see the Bulls get Kobe, but not if it costs giving up Gordon, Deng, and others.

Dynasty league. R, H, RBI, HR, SB, AVG, OPS, W, SV, HLD, K, ERA, WHIP, K/BB. Which would you rather have? Option A: Miguel Tejada Option B: Brady Penny and Joey Votto Option C: Chad Billingsley and Andrew McCutchen My team is towards the bottom of the standings. I have Jhonny Peralta who would replace Tejada if I decide to trade him. My pitching sucks, but I have some good young arms (Anibal Sanchez, Tim Lincecum, Mike Pelfrey, Yovanni Gallardo, Fransisco Liriano) Also, would you rather have Penny or Capuano?