Clem Fandango

What are you going to upgrade to? A different Joomla theme or a different CMS all together? I happen to specialize in customizing pre-built Wordpress themes, just so you know. If you head in that direction and need any help I'd be more than happy to lend a hand.

$12.50 for hot chocolate? [expletive] vultures

Touché. Good point, sir.

turning the Cubs second rate high level prospects into an ace would be pretty damn resourceful. Eh, I worded that a little inappropriately. I don't NOT want Felix on the Cubs, I've just been hyped up on Theo & Co. building a winner from within while utilizing smart trades and free agency moves. A trade like this would make building a winner from within a longer term process instead of a more shorter term one, and I'm kind of tired of the build-through-free-agency model we've been employing the past 10 years, and it seems like a move like this would make us have to do that over the next few seasons if we want to contend. I think they can make smaller, wiser moves and still build a winner within the next 2-3 years without Felix. I'm kind of more interested in seeing that happen than making a huge trade for Felix. Plus, for some reason, I'm cautious of his durability. I know he's been incredibly durable, but he just seems like he's primed for an injury in the next couple of years. He's put nearly 1400 MLB innings on his arm and he's not even 26 yet. Zambrano was the rubber arm durability machine and he started to show signs of wearing down when he was nearing 1400 innings as well (Z was 27). I don't know... it's just my opinion and personal preference, I'm not trying to make a case for that to convince anyone.

I think he will, too. He obviously isn't going anywhere else, and his decision to retire or play could change at any moment, so he'd probably be fine with going year-to-year on team friendly deals until he decides to hang it up for good

I don't see the infamous Jeff Keppinger Type A Free Agent anywhere on that list

I think the design and font choice is actually pretty good... those colors belong in hell, though

Do Mets fans really hate David Wright? Awesome. Easier to acquire.

The amount of animosity Braves fans had for that man was palpable. Combine that with the fact that the Braves have superior options coming up through their system to replace him (Teheran, Delgado, Minor, etc), and the fact that they would've ended up moving him to the bullpen, he was an obvious bet to get dealt. No point in having a $15 million long reliever on your staff Still, you're paying him $10M to pitch somewhere else. But they're also saving $5 million and are able to replace what he was inevitably going to do internally for probably league minimum. To-may-to, To-mah-to. That, plus cutting ties with McLouth, just netted them about $15 million extra to spend this upcoming season on different areas of importance. I don't think there's a right or wrong answer in this debate, I think arguments can easily be made for both sides, it just all came down to what the Braves preferred to do.

The amount of animosity Braves fans had for that man was palpable. Combine that with the fact that the Braves have superior options coming up through their system to replace him (Teheran, Delgado, Minor, etc), and the fact that they would've ended up moving him to the bullpen, he was an obvious bet to get dealt. No point in having a $15 million long reliever on your staff

I know several Braves fans who are going to be very happy about this. They hate Derek Lowe

Would love to have him, but the money to pay him can be better spent elsewhere and I'm not really down for gutting the system for one player. I know he's an unbelievable pitcher, but I kinda want to see how resourceful Theo can be with what he's been given.

He was my favorite Cubs player since he came to the team. Would hate to see him go, but that's baseball. I still think there's a good chance he comes back. I would imagine having the front office we have now would make playing in Chicago mighty appealing to any player past, present, or future.

Or as he likes to call it, Norht Sidebaes Bal

Pass. Nice little resurgence this year, but he was 35 and in a contract year. Don't trust it one bit. I know the contract year is, ideally, a myth... but I still don't trust it. Pena would be a more valuable option. They'd put up similar production numbers, and while the batting average would be substantially lower, the defense would more than makeup for it, and he'd probably cost less in both dollars and years

Very, but it won't happen. From all reports, the Indians are pretty keen on keeping him around as long as they can, and I bet the only way they won't is if he himself decides not to sign an extension and test the market instead.

Tim Kurkjan gives his $0.02 http://espn.go.com/mlb/story/_/id/7165040/ten-questions-heading-offseason

I probably wouldn't either. There's a chance he wouldn't put up that kind of production value at any point in the contract, but his production would probably definitely be worth $25-$30 million easily. In this situation you're essentially paying him extra because he's the greatest hitter of our time and he'd bring so much more to the table than just being in the Cubs lineup... especially since he wouldn't be on the Cardinals anymore. Take away our rivals greatest asset, kill two birds with one stone. Make the team better while substantially making another worse... and pissing off an entire fan base in the process.

I'm glad the ratings improved. Though I disliked the outcome of the series, I can't argue with the fact that it was probably really fun to watch if you're a neutral fan. Anything that helps makes baseball more popular the better. I'm tired of seeing people watch NFL coverage on opening day

http://espn.go.com/espn/columns/story?columnist=wojciechowski_gene&page=wojciechowski-111028 Ludicrous tidbit... $40 million a year. I think Albert has more than earned the right to be paid the same as A-Rod, maybe even a little more, but $40 million is absurd. This isn't F1 racing.

Trade Byrd. If Sizemore gets hurt, use Colvin as the 4th OF/backup. Not ideal, but... 1) Byrd is in the last year of a contract 2) Byrd is very affordable 3) Byrd provides solid production that someone would most definitely be interested in 4) Because of these 3 things Byrd should be able to net us a fairly decent prospect in return, I would imagine. I like having Byrd on the team, but he's not a game changer. Healthy Grady Sizemore is a game changer. Going with an OF of Soriano, Jackson, Colvin if Sizemore is hurt wouldn't be the worst thing in the world, especially not in a year where the Cubs aren't 100% expected to contend for a world series title, plus it would guarantee playing time for Jackson and Colvin. I'm not a fan of Colvin as a starter but giving him extra AB's in a situation that would mean the rest of the season is a throw away wouldn't be a bad thing. Plus after next year there's a lot of good OF bats on the free agent market, including Kemp, B.J. Upton, Hamilton, Bourn, Cabrera, etc. so if Sizemore fails or flourishes, there are options at both avenues

As per the suggestion of Tim, he's big enough to warrant his own thread...