Mugged By Fluffy

Just as Cubs fans have put many a beer can in the hand of the Harry Caray statue, I can bet that the Selig statue will be graced with several blindfolds.

That's what I was thinking. Now we don't have to worry about him signing with another club and beating us into oblivion. That alone is well worth his new contract.

And where does the guy who got off on manslaughter and leading police on a chase get off talking about McGwire's steroid use? Really? Unless the guy was so beefed up on steroids that they actually assisted in him in eluding the police and him getting off the hook, you can't really compare the two. It's apples and oranges.

In what way? he kept all those HR and RBI for himself bastard The guy had a bad attitude. Did I appreciate his production? Yeah. But I can separate the two. The one example I can recall is when Sammy went on the DL and teammates said in the media what they are supposed to say, "we are fighting hard and doing the things we need to do and winning while Sammy is out." That sort of thing. Someone told Sammy about it, and his response in the media was anger in the nature of "THEY NEED ME!" I can recall afew more. In addition to what you pointed out, Sammy also insisted on a new and more lucrative contract after his 98 season even though he had a couple of years left on his current deal. There is also the fact that he consistently showed up late to spring training, and ditched the Cubs convention almost every year despite being the teams biggest star.

I am suprised he is not in jail yet.

I think he pressed McGwire pretty well in the interview without crossing the line of complete douchebaggery, often questioning the authenticity of McGwire's stats and asking McGwire numerous times if he believed his accomplishments are valid and why. Costas didn't seem all that satisfied with McGwire's insistance of his "God given abilities" and his refusal to admit that the steroids did not boost his performance.

My Card fan buddy keeps trying to tell me that a big deal for Holliday actually helps them with a future deal with Pujols, becuase Pujols wants to see them start spending money in free agency. I guess we'll see about that. I'd agree with your buddy actually. But, once Pujols IS signed, their spending spree is over.They have to keep him happy until then, because they don't want to see him SNIFF an open market. Unless the Cards plan on significantly raising their payroll over 100 mil, there is no way they can sign Holliday longterm and resign Pujols and still field a winning team. They are going to resemble the Texas Rangers when A-Rod was playing for them.

I don't know. 9 mil for a 270/25 HR hitter coming off an awful year? Yeah he plays good defense --but 9 mil for him? I guess the best move is that it's only a 1 year deal and the 5 mil option is chump change to a team like the Red Sox.

If this had been a Hendry signing it would have been 9 mil for 4 years. Lots of dough for a guy who only had one good season. Only a year, but AB has the option in '11. Wonder what this means for Mike Lowell. I guess he's back on the block.

So the discussion has been confirmed, even though the front office originally denied any talks regarding Z. I wonder if they are actively shopping Zambrano around, or if this really did just happen to be a call out of the blue from the Yankees.

More like a steal for the Yanks.

He might have owed up to it when being asked by the media. But he sure as heck didn't like it was all his fault. Basically when Milton was unhappy, he made everybody around him unhappy. Ryan Theriot was next to his locker and thats basically what he said. This still doesn't make any sense, and it makes evern less sense with every story that tries to spin it like everyone else was on the same page except for Milton. If everyone else in the clubhouse gets along, who cares if one guy is in a bad mood? Is everyone else that weak and fragile emotionally and mentally that one guy sulking or being a jerk means everyone else can't get along? If that was the case then shouldn't that place be a wreck every year due to Zambrano alone? Maybe Milton Bradley just didn't want to talk to Ryan-[expletive]'-Theriot. It's probably annoying as crap to listen to some hick, Ed Hardy-wearing dwarf acting like he's the isht. I don't care how much talent somebody has; there's a limit to how much crap people are willing to put up with. This has nothing to do with baseball, it's a universal truth. Whether you're in an MLB clubhouse, an office building, or on an internet messageboard, if you refuse to follow the basic guidelines of human interaction, you'll be removed from the group. Sure. But it is up to the managers and directors to make sure the troublesome employeee is removed from the group in a manner that is in the company's best interests. I am the sole network engineer at my job. The only guy that knows anything about our servers, our intricate email system and our network hardware and software. On top of all that-I am currently in the middle of a software migration project. Say I go in to work on Monday and tell my boss to F off, and then proceed to curse out the company staff that already doesn't like me. Is it in my company's best interest to fire me on the spot with no other network support available? No. It is up to my boss to CYA, work out the problem with me and eventually devise a plan to get me out of there without disrupting the company operations. Hendry needed to handle the situation with Bradley the way this boss would have handled it. What Hendry did and how he handled this was not in his company's best interests.

What are they even going to tell the guy(Silva) when he shows up in AZ on Feb 15, or whatever day it is that pitchers and catchers report? I can't imagine the conversation going well. "Hey uh....Yeah, we are kinda stuck with you Carlos. We didn't really want you but our hands were tied and you were the only option for us. So uh...here's the ball. Go get 'em Tiger."

It's 5, and no. I bet you'll think differently if an injury occurs to some other team, or if at the trading deadline some other team comes along and takes Bradley from Seattle. Even giving Bradley away in a salary dump for a career A prospect come July is still going to be a good deal for the Mariners as it gets money off the books. Hendry however is stuck with Silva for the two years and the money on his contract. Noone is ever going to trade for Silva.

And they also gave us back a bad contract on a player that is a downgrade from Bradley. Silva sucks. As mentioned by others is it worth getting rid of Bradley, downgrading your pitching staff and wasting a roster spot for 6 million dollars? Hendry should have told those babies in the clubhouse to man up and just deal with the guy, the same way the Giants players had to deal with Bonds all those years. If anything Hendry could have tried trading Bradley again midseason before the deadline. He may still not have gotten much for him, but he probably would have gotten a better deal than this one.

There goes Hendry's backup plan at closer.

Ive always been a fan of Polanco and his oddly shaped cranium, but 3/18mil? Even if he wasnt 34 years old, that would sound like a lot for him. I guess Ibanez worked out for them so who knows. All I know is if This were the Cubs, there would be people with torches and pitchforks outside Hednrys door. well the people with torches and pitchforks would be stupid, because polanco is a very good defender, pretty solid hitter and generally worth a contract in that range. Gold Glove defender, and is a spray-the-ball contact hitter that is tough to strike out(46 times in 618 AB's). On a team like the Cubs who are weak at 2nd base and need a backup at 3rd, Polanco would have been a good pickup at 6 mil. Especially if they are still in "win-now" mode.

I have a feeling he is going to FOX. It seems like thats where the worst of the worst always end up.

It's official. No arbitration for Harden. No draft pick compensation. http://www.chicagobreakingsports.com/2009/12/cubs-wont-offer-arbitration-to-harden-gregg-johnson.html

And he's ooooooooooouuuuuuuu-------safe!

Jones is washed up, but it still a good low risk move for Williams at only $500,000 for 1 year.

Right, but that's Harden. Harden is not Halladay. Take his injury history out of it and there's still no comparison. If I'm Tom Ricketts and this comes across my desk, I'm not dismissing it out of hand just because of the price tag. And as far as the other players, I might be willing to put up with Sam Fuld in CF if it allows me to have Doc Halladay at the top of the rotation. His acquisition alone should lock up the Central Division crown. And if they're in first place come the deadline, players can be gotten for the stretch run. Once you get into the playoffs, other teams are looking at quite the rotation. And, you know, it's been a while since...well, I don't really need to say it, do I? I understand all the arguments against and they're valid, but you've got to at least see this thing through... The Harden thing was just an example. The point is, all indications so far have been that they have much less than 16 million to spend on next season. I don't really think it matters how good he is or how bad Hendry might want him. BTW, I wouldn't say adding Halladay locks up anything. The offense and bullpen would be highly questionable going into next season. Look, if the money's not there to spend then discussion over, but if it's a matter of value and spending wisely, the Doc is worth the money. I couldn't think of a better way to introduce yourself as the new owner of the Cubs than by landing Roy Halladay. I'd rather look at some of the bigger weaknesses on the team than starting pitching, but obviously I would love to see a player of Halladay's caliber in Cubbie Blue. Same here. Instead of wondering about Halladay the Cubs most seriously need to be looking at Granderson.

Anyone see this last night on(everyone's favorite) MLB Network? Costas was relentless, nailing Selig with tough questions about blown calls and the need for instant replay in the playoffs, his longtime promise of a Saturday afternoon World Series game, Rose in the Hall and the Selig encouragement of McGwire getting the job in StL without expecting him to answer any questions about his alleged steroid use. The stammering and yammering, and the longwinded nonanswers by Selig were priceless, as were Costas' great counterpoints. I am surprised that Selig let his own network put him on the hot seat like that.

This. When a talent like this is available, you make it work any way you can (see: Yankees and ARod). +1. How is his arm? Is he capable of playing RF?

I looked at his LD% and his BABIP and didn't particularly like what I saw. His 4-1 K-BB ratio is a little conerning too. I agree he would have been worth a shot but how long are you willing to stick with Hermida if he doesn't break out? I think (hope) Hendry has his sights set a little higher. Though I'm prepared to be disappointed by Hendry's idea of a better corner OF. When Hendry sets his sights higher we end up with Soriano and Bradley. For what little it took for the BoSox to get Hermida it would have been worth the risk even though he is up for arbitration. Say you end up paying him $6 mil. It's still less than what Hendry's version of a veteran free agent "savior" might cost. If Hermida tanks, you've lost two average prospects. If Jaramillo can figure him out and takes him to the next level, you've got a young left handed bat in the OF(and Bradley replacement) that you can sign longterm.