Bruno7481

The NL West just happen to be the beneficiaries of a pretty lackluster NL. But hey, I wouldn't be complaining if the Cubs would have snuck in like that.

I guess I will be an LA supporter during the playoffs this year. Have to be for somebody.

Boom-Boom Bynum!!!!!

I'm not against the idea of getting Dunn, if he can be obtained cheaply. I don't think he can though. He's recently signed an extension with the Reds for a reasonable amount of money. They aren't going to give him away cheaply, even with his terrible production the past two months.

Joe Sheehan from BP on Adam Dunn: "Do you think things might have been different if Adam Dunn shown up for the second half? With another 0-fer last night, Dunn dropped to .153/.344/.264 in September, .230/.367/.426 since the All-Star break. He has killed the Reds for two months, batting .170 in the middle of the lineup with just 13 extra-base hits. That’s not a slump; that’s a disaster, and it’s gone unnoticed in part because guys like me are so used to defending Dunn that we didn’t look at him when doing the Reds’ autopsy. Unlike in past seasons, when Dunn was criticized for his approach while still being productive, this time the big guy is a big reason why the Reds have failed. Stathead favorite or no, Dunn deserves a load of criticism for his part in this season. Pretty much what I tried to convey earlier.

So does Ramirez. Should we not pay him the big bucks because of it? Yes, and here is why. A-Ram plays 3B, a position that is at a failry high premium compared to outfielders. Also, I don't think A-Ram's numbers fluctuate as extremely as Adam Dunn's. Aramis' month of April was brutal, but that has been about it. I don''t think you can really compare the two in regards to your question. I'm not arguing that he is worthless or unproductive, he is certainly productive. But at the same time, he has some pretty big flaws and his lack of consistency holds him back from being a truly elite player, imo. So, you criticize Dunn for not showing up when you think his team needed him most, yet don't find the same fault that Ramirez didn't start playing until his team didn't need him. Ramirez in April: 197/321/394 Dunn in Sept: 145/330/250 Both are pretty bad. Ramirez in May:266/296/495 Dunn in August: 188/284/416 Both had two horrible months. Ramirez began his season with two bad months, while Dunn ended his with two bad months. Season stats: Ramirez: 290/350/558 Dunn: 233/366/493 Ramirez has had a better year, but not substantially. Ramirez may play third, but he plays it nearly as bad as Dunn plays left. Furthermore, a bad play by the 3b likely affects the team more than a bad play in left. Your argument that advocates signing Ramirez while piddling away his first two months while using Dunn's last two months as proof not to acquire him lacks as much consistinecy as Dunn or Ramirez combined. I'm advocating signing Ramirez because he is the most productive player the Cubs currently have, they need to keep him. I'm not dogging Dunn, but I don't think the Cubs should give the farm for him either. I would explore other alternatives through FA before committing a lot of young talent towards acquiring Dunn. I do thnk Dunn has hurt his team the last few months, the numbers show it. The Reds have had the equivalent production of Nefi Perez playing everyday in LF since August, well maybe not that bad, but pretty close.

So does Ramirez. Should we not pay him the big bucks because of it? Yes, and here is why. A-Ram plays 3B, a position that is at a failry high premium compared to outfielders. Also, I don't think A-Ram's numbers fluctuate as extremely as Adam Dunn's. Aramis' month of April was brutal, but that has been about it. I don''t think you can really compare the two in regards to your question. I'm not arguing that he is worthless or unproductive, he is certainly productive. But at the same time, he has some pretty big flaws and his lack of consistency holds him back from being a truly elite player, imo.

a season is a marathon, not a sprint, like i said. although the games appear to matter more in august and september, they really don't. don't let the "music of the spheres" fool you. although a pennant race may appear to be more of a race in september, it's just as much of a race in april. I agree with you, but it is obvious his lack of production that past two months has hurt their chances.

Of course they all count the same. But, the Reds were in it late. They lost Griffey, and certianly needed some production. Dunn has been worthless since August. I think that can correlate to the Reds stagnation since then. Is that a wrong asessment? That lineup is very good when healthy, scary good at times. Dunn has been good in April and July. Average in the other months, and completely worthless since August. I'm not a Dunn hater, but he has some consistency problems that hold him back.

Dunn's splits month by month. April, .265/.432/.614 33K 25BB May, .212/.328/.535 26K 17BB June, .221/.368/.537 32K 22BB July, .354/.451/.573 27K 14 BB August, .188/.284/.416 39K 13BB September, .153/.344/.264 33/k 19 BB Didn't exactly produce when the Reds needed it most. Dunn is productive in his own way, he certainly has his faults too. I don't think he would be worth what the Cubs would have to give up though.

Blame Dusty for lots of things, fine. Corey isn't one of his casualties though. He's not exactly setting the world on fire in Baltimore. I liked Corey, and wish him luck wherever he winds up. I don't think there is any logic in placing this at Dusty's door though.

I don't know. They always do this the last road trip of the year to the rookies. The timing just sucked this year.

Bring him back? Let him go? Only thrown 17.2 innings this year. Hs control has been shaky, but some of that caqn be expected coming back from injury. The good, his BAA is only .206, but again that is in limited duty. I'd be OK bringing him back, if they shore up the front end of the rotation. I wouldn't want to count on him being more than a #4 or #5. But, the Cubs have a surplus of young guys that could fill that role as well. Could Miller be signifcantly better than a guy like Marmol, Marshall, Guzman? Agian, all this assuming the front end of the rotation is strengthened.

I'm not trying to evaluate the trade, just Corey the baseball player.

Did he progress? .271/.310/.425 His numbers are up from last year, but they were bound to be based on how rough he had it last season. Many criticized the Cubs for not developing him properly, teaching patience, etc. If Baltimore is teaching it, it hasn't clicked yet. Just curious what some thoughts are about him. What will he become? Or have we already seen it?

I think the Bengals can beat Pittsburgh, won't be easy though. Cincy doesn't have the same caliber of Defense that Jacksonville has, but theyre not terrible. Although losing David Pollack will hurt them. Cincy won in Pittsburgh last year.

I'm not going to get in to what is most important, percentages, etc. The game consists of 3 things, pitching, hitting, and defense. The first day of my freshman year in college each player got a small, credit card sized laminated card to put in their locker, wallet, etc. It reads: "It's pitching, hitting, and defense that wins. Any two can win. All three make you unbeatable."

So somebody who doesn't get all that worked up about a guy not hustling doesn't have a passion for the game? The purity of the game is a complete BS concept. There is nothing pure about baseball, there has never been anything pure about the game, and there never will be. Aramis gives more to me as a fan by producing than any two-bit hustle monkey would ever be able to give back. Spending my springs coaching a high school baseball team I am obligated to disagree with this. There is purity in those kids. They aren't playing for money, or fame. They play because they want to and they love the game. The reasons they play are pure. 90-95% of them won't play beyond high school, thats fine. Most of them will give me everything they have. I'll take those kind of two-bit hustle monkey's every year.

UK... Players shouldn't even have to run. They should just paint zones onto the field. Depending on which zone you hit, that is how many runs you score. :lol:

I'm at a loss for words here.... Reminds me of the debate a while back where some would rather a player strikeout, then make contact and potentially hit into a DP. True, that may happen, but the possibillity of something positive happening with contact severly outweighs the guaranteed negative of a strikeout. Hustling can't hurt, it can even help you win. Rather it may be beating out a play, taking an extra base, whatever the case may be. I think the idea of hustle goes deeper. I think it is a great reflection of work ethic, which affects a player's preperation, training, extra work, etc. All positive things. There's not a hustle stat I can point to unfortunately. But just because there isn't a stat associated with it doesn't make it invisible.

He is what he is, he's never going to have gaudy OBP numbers. But he has a good chance to finish the season with a .500+ SLG (currently .498). Hard to complain about his overall production this year.

His has put up very solid numbers this year. He has received a lot of criticism, since the signing and throughout the year. He has his shortcoming throwing the ball obviously, but offensively he has outperformed the expectations of many around here. Just wanted to post some positive thoughts on Jones.

I dont remember anyone saying that a pitchers mechanics is important for success. But by you bringing it up, yeah it is important. A pitcher with poor mechanics is more likely to break down than a pitcher with good mechanics. Having better mechanics means you have more velocity, and more control with your pitches. Im not a "former" pitcher. Im still pitching. While that is mainly true, it still boils down to performance. When judging performance, I could care little about the mechanics used to achieve that performance. . Hmmm.... See Kerry Wood, 1998. I care about the mechanics, especially when they were as bad as Wood's (Throwing across his body, shoulder lagging, increased pressure, etc). He had good results, but paid the price.

:roll: You do realize this has the potential to be life threatening? Does the sarcasm/snide remarks ever take a backseat here?

Intelligent thread.... :roll: