carolinacubbie

Flying from South Carolina to Chicago tomorrow morning to watch the Tuesday and Wednesday games. So hopefully we will be going for the sweep! Go Cubs!

I don't think Bradley has trouble seeing the ball. I just don't think he gives a damn whether he catches it half the time. I don't trust an important position like center in Milton Bradley's hands.

I wonder the same thing. Lou has been an idiot with Fox. Honestly Fox has looked just as good at 3rd than Fontenot has. Bradley is awful and should be benched. I could care less about his contract. Random trade idea though. Since it doesn't look like Fox has any future with us, what about Fox for Cano?

I hope to God Milton Bradley gets moved, because when Aramis gets back, we have to find at bats for Hoff and Fox. Especially Fox.

Why not just go all offense for a game. I'd do this tomorrow, and just roll the dice. 1. 2B- Soriano 2. CF- Fukudome 3. 1B- Lee 4. 3B- Fox 5. LF- Hoff 6. RF- Bradley 7. SS- Theriot 8. C- Soto

Good call, forgot about him. Yeah, that stat seems like it's a bit out of whack now. Must be some sort of quirky stipulation, like wins by a LHP during day games or something No, I remember what you are talking about. I think you just mis-read. I believe Lilly is like 4th on the list.

I think it is BP that does the percentage chance to make the playoffs. I was just wondering what the NL central looked like right now according to them? Thanks in advance.

Agreed. Derrek Lee keeps Theriot looking like a decent shortstop, when he probably isn't even that good. I think getting D-Lee was one of the better moves we've made this decade. Agreed completely.

After 2007 would have been perfect For straight value, sure. But it would have also left the Cubs with a huge hole at 1B in 2008 (at least what would reasonably be expected to be a huge hole). You don't trade away one of your key hitters (which Lee was still at the time) when you have absolutely no idea how you're going to replace him, even if you do think he will decline and not be worth his contract. By the time the Cubs knew they had a potential fill in there, his 10/5 rights would have already kicked in. Yeah, it's really hard for a playoff team to trade a 31 year old guy who just posted a .913 OPS when there's no successor waiting in the wings. Hoff had just OPSd .917 the year before, but that was after an .852 in 2006 and .663 in 2005. 2007 was also Hoff's only year above a .900 OPS in the minors up to that point. Hoffpauir also had a severe knee injury that ended his season in 2007, and of course that .917 was in the severely hitter friendly PCL. He had been just starting to get a chance at a bench job when he got hurt..he certainly wasn't close yet to being an option for the starting job. The only real good option at that point would have been to make sure we got a young, MLB ready first baseman in the trade. And that kind of limits our options to get the best deal possible. Lee is hitting .392 over the last 14 games. He really hasn't been as bad this year as people wanna make it out to be. Lou is just an idiot for not playing Hoff in right everyday Bradley doesn't play especially against righties. At least he is the lineup tonight. I still can't figure out why we called up Fox and haven't given him a single start yet.

Who should our closer be?

Seriously, now that we are pretty much getting back to full health offensively, why does this guy keep playing every single day? He is terrible, and shouldn't even be on the roster.

Easily the most underrated RBI guy in all of baseball, and has been for several years now. I dunno, I feel like most everyone knows how good Aramis is. He's very good and elite for his position. I think he's properly rated overall, but no one talks about how frightening he is in the big spots. He has more big hits the last few years than I can even remember. Seriously. I try not think about the term "clutch," but Aramis is as close as it gets to making me believe that clutch actually exists. When it comes to Aramis Ramirez, it definitely exists.

Well their are 30 MLB teams. So that means that the other 7 teams didn't even have a 1B that was good enough or consistent enough to be eligible. So you could say 15 of 30. Which is about average, and when you throw in his defense, above average. And as far as Lilly giving up so many home runs last night. His outing might look bad numbers wise, but it was pretty solid. He didn't walk anyone which is rule number one when it comes to having a big lead. The home runs were mostly all solo shots. I'm sure he would have loved to have not giving up so many home runs, and just base hits. But with that short porch in right, they went out. The main thing was he didn't put runners out via the walk, and then give up 3 run homers. He did his job, and won the game.

34 and never 21. You've got to be kidding me. I love Kerry more than anyone, but he should never have his jersey retired.

Trade Bait lol

Why? He's had as many disappointing teams as good teams. He's been given more resourses than most every other GM, and the team has one 90 win season to his credit. He hired Dusty Freaking Baker for chrissakes. So I'm guessing you gave the F?

Are you seriously telling me that you would hit Alfonso Soriano 6th?

What good? Do his HR's not count if they're hit with nobody on base? They certainly count for more runs with guys on base. Maybe Soriano isnt the problem. He gets on base plenty, and Theriot is usually good at gettign on as well, as long as he doesnt commit some boneheaded base running blunder. Its their job to get on base, and the number 3 and 4 guys should drive them in. The problem comes when that number 3 hitter rolls the ball directly into the short stops glove with dead aim. Lee is just not a number 3 type. Hes always been an .800something OPSer, and then he had that ridiculous 2005, which made everyone believe he was going to do that again. Hasnt happened, wont happen, and we should accept him as a .280/.370/.475 type of player, which isnt bad by any stretch, but not quite a number 3 hitter. If we could get a number 3 guy, Soriano would be just fine at leadoff. Aramis would be a great #3 guy, but Lou never saw it that way. This is why, with Soriano, Theriot, Ramirez, and Soto as the 1-4, we could use a nice number 5 guy, and put Lee 6th. Maybe there isn't a problem. This team won 97 games last year and did one hell of a job scoring runs. The 07 and 08 teams were clearly different. The 07 team wasn't all that good and benefited from a bad division. We got beat by the better D Backs team. The 08 team on the other hand was great, and we just made a few costly mistakes fielding wise especially in the 2nd game. Had we not had such a bad inning, we could have been right in the series. We might can add a guy or so, but I wouldn't screw with the team too much. You don't have to change up your whole team every year you don't win the World Series. It isn't every year that you have to play Manny Ramirez, the way he was playing. The guy was unbelievable and impossible to get out. We caught some bad breaks, but it isn't like we weren't good. We were great last year. The Angels were great last year too though and they also lost in the 1st round. If I thought some of these other NL contenders were really out there getting huge players, I would be concerned, but they are not. The Mets aren't even really. They got a closer, but that isn't a franchise changing position. We are still arguably the best team in the NL, and if we can make the World Series, anything can happen in a 7 game series.

Yeah, because our team last year was just so boring. We didn't play good in the playoffs. It had nothing to do with the team, they just didn't play good. We are built fine for the playoffs. I will be surprised if we don't sign a RF or some sort.

After the last two years with Roberts and Peavy. I would just assume no to hear anything.

In all fairness, I think some people thought the Rays had a chance to make some noise. Making the world series though, I doubt that. The Tigers terribleness was just unforeseen though. As far as the Cubs go, you would have to say that they are at least one of the three favorites to go along with the Phillies and Mets. We have the best rotation in the NL. Our lineup is pretty solid from top to bottom, and our bullpen isn't bad.

How's Pearce suppose to be this year?

Is it just me or are all these people terrible at their job? Every one of them just tries to out scoop the other, and are wrong about 95 percent of the time. I just don't see how some of these people aren't held accountable every now and then for being so bad at their job. If you or me made as many mistakes as these people do when they say a deal is very close or done, and then 30 minutes later it is off the table, then we'd all be fired. No reporters do any thorough research anymore. It is annoying as a fan.

Umm. All of 'em. Okay, so name a contender whose numbers 2 and 3 starters are as likely to get hurt and regress as Harden and Dempster Haha. Yeah, right. I'll get right on that. Any player can get hurt or regress. Uhh yeah, but what players are as likely as Harden and Dempster? It's not jyst a chance, it's a good chance. So you say "all of em" when I ask what teams are that suspect, and then why I ask to give an example you sau "haha, yeah right" Well played. I already gave examples. I said ALL OF THEM. That's not an example, that's a blanket statement because you have no answer. Name one contender who has a number 2 that is as likely to get hurt as Harden and a number 3 who is as likely to add a run and a half onto his ERA as Dempster. Just one Someone already did up above. The World Series winner. And they named a few more as well. I'm done here. I have work to do, and as much as you would like to give me some sort of homework assignment, I'm going to go do my own work. I've never been a big Hendry fan, but I am not complaining about this particular decision to back off on an 8 for 1 deal for Peavy. That's just silly. Not only that, Peavy is no lock to be be the stud in the NL Central that he was in the NL West. Doesn't mean I wouldn't love to have him. Just not for the entire farm. The phillies are an awful example, and I already explained why. I never said question marks, I said injury and regression. The phillies aren't counting on Brett Myers to be Rich Harden, and they aren't counting on Joe Blanton to be like 2008 Dempster. They know what those guys are, and they're built around that. We're built around Harden being healthy and Dempster being good. Why are you so hung up on injury and regression? It completely misses the point. Lilly and Marshall/Marquis/whatever is comparable to Myers and Blanton. So the Phils need your worst case just to get to even with the Cubs. Meanwhile, since I'm sure this is where you're headed next, the Cubs outscored the Phils last year, and are having to replace Edmonds while the Phils have to replace Burrell and 2 months of Utley. Advantage Cubs. Here's why it is relevant. The Cubs were what, like 7 wins better than the Phillies last season? We should be trying to widen that gap, not close it. We got lucky last year with a lot of things. I think the offense is likely to lose more than just the Edmonds production. I think we're going to lose some production from DeRosa, Theriot, and Fontenot. Also, the Phillies bullpen is looking a lot better than our as wll. The point is that you build a team based on what you have. When what you have has the potential to fall apart, it can screw a lot of things up. The Phillies showedlast year they could succeed with that mediocre rotation. That doesn't automatically mean we will too. You can play the IF game all you want, and I can play it right back. Yes maybe Fontenot, Theriot, and DeRosa will be worse. But maybe Lee will regain some power. Aramis actually had a down year this past year, maybe he will improve a little more. Maybe Soriano will stay healthy all year. Soto should only improve. Fukudome can't get much worse. You can play the game both ways.

Do you really believe all that? I have no idea honestly.