NCCubFan

That's crazy talk. Pedro's in on the first ballot even if he never throws another pitch.

Actually, it seems to me like he lost his stroke while still with the Cubs. He wasn't hitting like he used to at the time he was traded. It may just be the wear and tear of catching; other catchers have also fallen off quickly, although maybe not quite as dramatically (if memory serves, Jody Davis was like that to some extent as well).

I would guess it's partly that and the fact that 2 pitching coaches with great reputations have both just gotten completely frustrated with him because he wouldn't listen to them. I think that's mainly it. He has a reputation of, after one semi-successful year with a team, he gets an attitude that he knows it all and doesn't need coaching. That was reportedly the case with both Atlanta (Mazzone) and St. Louis (Duncan).

It will not be Carrasco. He's right-handed and, more importantly, not on the 40-man roster. I think the most likely candidate is Piggy. He's a lefty (which I think the Cubs would definitely want to replace Eyre) and he's on the 40-man roster.

Let's not forget Glenallen Hill and his nightmare about spiders.

Vanilla Coke, when you could find it, was awesome. Vanilla vodka and Coke was surprisingly tasty. I never liked Vanilla Coke, but I did like Vanilla Pepsi. Vanilla Coke seemed to have a bitter aftertaste to me that Pepsi didn't have. One thing I do frequently is take Coke or Pepsi and add flavoring syrup (like soda fountains did many years ago). I've used strawberry, raspberry, peach, and vanilla flavoring.

More evidence that he belongs in the Hall.

Registration seems to have stalled at 10 members. I sent a follow-up PM to the four members from last year who have not yet signed up, giving them one week (until the end of Thursday, July 3) to sign up or forfeit their spots. So far two people have indicated an interest in joining if there are any open spots, so there could potentially be two additional openings. As mentioned previously any open spots will be filled first-come, first-served, so if interested you should post your interest soon to increase your chances of being high enough in priority to get any open spot.

Good idea; I'm also adding the Minor League Baseball home page. Iowa Cubs Tennessee Smokies Daytona Cubs Peoria Chiefs Boise Hawks Minor League Baseball Iowa no longer has their own website; it's integrated with MiLB.com. Mesa apparently doesn't have a site at all.

Naturally, the pitcher I spaced out and forgot to activate for his start scores more points than all the pitchers I did have active combined. ](*,)

Not only has he been placed on waivers, but if he goes unclaimed the Astros plan to terminate his contract for cause and not pay the remainder of his salary.

I thought I heard that both teams were, but I'm too lazy to look it up and make sure. I think they both are some, but I'm not sure how much each team is paying. That depends on what they agreed on as the terms of the trade.

Release him. I'm continually baffled as to why the Cubs can't seem to grasp that concept. With a year and a half left on his deal? As I understand the rules, if he is claimed by another team we will have to pay the lion's share of his contract. The only way to get out from under his ocntract in full is to trade him or for him to clear waivers such that he can be released. You have it backwards. If he IS claimed by another team on waivers then that team is responsible in full. If he is NOT claimed and clears waivers then the Cubs are responsible in full unless he signs with another team after being released. Then the new team would be responsible for a prorated share of the minimum salary and the Cubs would be on the hook for the remainder. That's what happened with Edmonds signing with the Cubs after clearing waivers and being released by the Padres.

Backup catchers play quite a bit, and it would be nice to have a cheap one instead of spending millions on a guy that does very little. Plus, catchers aren't the most durable players. Exhibit 1 for the Cubs: Hundley, Randy.

agreed. it would be just like if a guy got brought off the DL mid-week, in my opinion. Exactly the analogy I was thinking of. Both cases relate to change in status in MLB, and I always understood that to be a valid reason to make a mid-week change.

Once again I spaced out and forgot to change my lineup to get my 7 pitching starts. :x Then again, the way my pitchers have been pitching the past couple of weeks maybe that's a good thing.

If I remember Fishbulb was previously booted before the 2006 season for failing to pay the fee and replaced by Vance. Then he was given the team back when Vance seemed to disappear. So this isn't the first time there have been issues with him.

My understanding is that you can do that when the player is actually called up in midweek, but that it isn't allowed if the player was already in the majors but still on your minor league roster because he was still eligible.

Kerry Wood?

The Cardinals have a shot at the wild card, especially being in the lead currently. However, when you look down the roster, they don't compare to their competitors. Carpenter and Wainwright are both currently injured, Carpenter is questionable to even pitch in 2008, and if he does there's a strong likelihood he won't be at his best. Latest news is that Wainwright will be out until August. The Dodgers(Billingsley, Kuroda, Lowe, Kershaw) and Braves(Hudson, Jurrjens, Campillo, Reyes/Glavine) have a better rotation, and the Mets(Santana, Maine) and Brewers(Sheets, Suppan) are better at the top of the rotation. Pujols is the best player in the game, but Ludwick and Ankiel are not much after him. Ankiel has a flawed approach and has about a .740 OPS since April. Ludwick outhit anything he's ever done, and has fallen off to a .737 OPS in June. Glaus is a quality player, but not spectacular. The Brewers with Fielder, Braun, Hart, and Cameron are more formidable, as are the Braves(Jones, Teixeira, McCann, Johnson), and the Mets(Wright, Beltran, Reyes, Church) and Marlins(Ramirez, Uggla, Cantu, Hermida) are similar. The Cards could still make the playoffs, but it won't be because their talent is the class of the wild card contenders. Yes, but I was just speaking for if they are at full strength, I would fear the Cardinals more then the Mets/Brewers/Braves. I mean, of course Ludwick and Ankiel have flaws, but so does Reyes, and Church has never been this good either (and never has he ever been projected to be, which makes him much more likely a fluke, unlike Ludwick and Ankiel who have legit power). The Brewers out of all the teams you listed have the more formidable lineup, but Carpenter, Wainwright, Wellemeyer and Pinerio is far better then Ben Sheets, Suppan, Parra, Dave Bush. To me, anyway. The Dodgers have a talented rotation but the lineup is the pits. And you'd really have more confidence in facing Atlanta then the Cardinals? The Braves have always been pushovers. *Cough*1998*Cough*

No, he was "only" 1 for 2, with a home run, 2 RBI, 2 runs scored, and 3 walks.

Done.

Four pitching starts for me today, and they combine for a whopping 10.5 points. That's, like, not good. :x

This thread is the NSBB equivalent of the famous "If Zambrano starts, your in trouble" thread on cubs.com several years ago. :D