UMFan83

Regarding the DVD, it looks like there will be 3 different types of DVD released. -Regular DVD (24.95) -Blu Ray DVD (34.95) -Special Edition Regular DVD (39.99) On Amazon, they don't have any info on the special edition DVD, other then that it will be FOUR discs. The other products are just 1 DVD, so expect a significant increase in the content with the SE. Unfortunately, I don't see a blu ray of that, making a predicament. ALSO, right now, Amazon has a sale on all 3 types. They are all $10 off....who knows for how long. Good time to buy right now and have shipped to you on the 20th.

Aww how cute, the social awkward baffoon thinks that the Cubs and Reds are rivals. I guess one side thinks they are. I bet the Reds fans are eating this up.

I hope he would. I don't think he's coming back next year regardless, so it would be stupid to stay on this sinking ship when he can get traded to a contender and actually enjoy himself.

I'd still chance it. While 2010 is a bust, 2011 actually doesn't have to be, and I think moving Byrd would mean they'd hang on to Fukudome. I think moving Fukudome (in the right deal) would be more beneficial to the team both right now and in the long run. Like I said, if someone is calling up the Cubs with an amazing offer for Byrd there's no reason for them to not take it. I guess I'm just not a huge fan of Byrd. He had a nice first half, but he's not someone I have to keep if I want to contend in 2011. I guess he is starter quality and not making a ton, but if I'm Hendry, everyone on the team is available right now.

Who is Jordon?

I would even call Rose's defense less than average last year, instead of just bad. Man to man I would say he was actually decent. He still got burned by guards who had a quick first step because he hesitates, but he can stay in front of most everyone else.

Because they don't have anyone to fill the position? If someone is offering a great offer now, fine, but the Cubs could easily sell high with him later. Soriano-Fukudome-Colvin? Brett Jackson might be called up by September 1st as the thread on NSBB speculates.

I don't get it. I think because he missed that catch in LF late in the game. Bounced off his glove. I'm not sure the Cardinals signed him for his defense though. That said, Holliday has what is starting to be a disturbing history of botched defensive plays in big games, starting with his botched fly ball in the one game playoff between San Diego and Colorado, followed by the groin shot in last years playoffs and now that catch, which obviously was nowhere as big, and the game was not even close as a playoff game in terms of importance.

Since this has been rebumped, a week from today (it's still Tuesday technically), the Blackhawks Stanley Cup DVD comes out. I am going to Best Buy ASAP to buy the blu ray version.

NL is 1-12-1 in their last 14 All Star games lol. I remember watching that 1996 game too. I think Fred McGriff had a late HR to win it. Edit: No wait, I believe Mike Piazza hit an early home run and ended up with MVP. McGriff's HR must have been 1994. Wow can't believe I remember that so well.

I never would have guessed Byrd would be interviewed on the field after the All Star game.

Byrd might have had consideration for MVP if not for Mccann's hit.

Probably because the Cubs kinda suck and don't deserve 2 All Stars.

Geovany Soto would have homered. Edit: OK he would have K'd looking, whatever.

Marlon Byrd would have been able to score standing up but he was so stunned that a guy on his team got a hit with RISP and 2 outs and caught himself admiring it for a sec.

GAME 1 AT WRIGLEY!!!!

3 run shot coming up and an all star MVP

Byrd is going to come up in a huge spot isn't he? I can't watch. Edit: Sweet, it looks like we might have an always fun White Sox-Cubs matchup

stupid? you know, i could have easily called the stuff you said stupid, but i didn't. HUET IS BEING SENT DOWN AND WONT BE OUR GOALIE NEXT YEAR. seriously, go on capgeek and take 2 minutes to look at the roster and it's completely obvious he's being sent down. this is njot an issue. oh, and Niemi didn't have the 4th best save percentage in the NHL. he wasn't even close. he was tied for 19th, right behind MARTY TURCO http://espn.go.com/nhl/statistics/player/_/stat/goaltending/sort/savePct/year/2010/seasontype/2 edit: and btw, hjalmarsson is not our 4th best d-man. he's third, and would be second on most teams. I meant goals against average. So if you don't care for Niemi, who is the Hawks goalie next year? Any way you cut it, getting rid of Niemi because of your fourth best defenseman is hockey stupid when you don't have a better option. The Hawks had one player in the top 10 in the NHL in points (8th with Kane) last year. He is a star, not a superstar. So is Toews. Very good players, not superstars. But there is a very good chance that I am hockey stupid too. Again, see my post. GAA is very misleading when you consider the fact that Niemi's save percentage was 19th in the league. His GAA was low because the defense allowed the least SOG in the NHL. Points aren't the only defining trait of a good offensive player. Look at Hossa in the playoffs. Was struggling to get points but clearly looked like the best player on the ice, and greatly contributed in goals that he didn't get an assist for. Plus you have Hossa who missed a third of the season and has had 100 and 92 point seasons within the last 4 years. Hammer is much more important than resigning Niemi. There is a FA that no one wants right now named Marty Turco that actually had a higher save percentage than Niemi. A goalie of Niemi's caliber can be replaced. 23 year old defensemen with Hammer's ability to prevent SOG and move the puck up the ice offensively can't be replaced very easily.

By 4th you mean 19th right? You are probably referring to 4th in GAA, which is true. But you know who was also in the top 10 until the very end of the season? Huet, who finished 11th in the league in GAA but 42nd in save percentage. Now why would the Hawks goalies have such good GAA numbers but such mediocre (Niemi) to bad (Huet) save %. Hmm...could it be that they play behind a defense that allowed the last number of SOG in the NHL last year? Yeah I think that's it. The defense made it possible for a mediocre goalie like Niemi to thrive. In order to have a great defense, you need to have 2 solid defensive lines. Which by keeping Hammer, you have. If you start removing players from the top 2 D lines, then you start allowing more SOG, and if you allow more SOG, then statistically based on the numbers I showed above, the goalies will allow more goals than the average goalie. Make sense? I can't believe the person who thinks the Hawks don't have one superstar on offense (you're right they have 3), is laughing at others because of his perceived superior knowledge of hockey.

Was that the first time Ryan Braun has ever dove? He'd better be careful, he might get some errors if he goes all out for balls.

I really can't think of one move that ever turned out well for MJ as an owner/GM. He just isn't very good at working the front office in basketball. Concerning Reddick, why sign him when you have a very similar player in Korver? Get Barnes who is a little more athletic and guards the 2's significantly better? I am tired of the Bulls trotting out their 6'3" 2 guards. From what I've read, the only similarities between Redick and Korver are that they are white and can shoot 3's. First of all Korver is 6'7'' and is primarily a SF. He is more of your 3 point specialist guy. Redick is 6'5'' and is a more traditional SG. He's not overly athletic, and isn't going to be driving to the hole and getting to the FT line or anything, but he'll space the floor for Rose, he is a pretty decent passer, and he can apparently create his own shot around the perimeter. On defense Korver is awful. One of the worst in the game: http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4139/4786791356_a9de85bfaf_b.jpg Redick is said to be underrated defensively. Not going to confuse you with Kirk Hinrich, but plays good man to man defense and is still improving. Basically the Magic want to keep Redick because they think he can be their starting SG as soon as next year, pushing Carter to more of a role player. If a 55+ win team is thinking of doing that, he's ok as my SG. Personally, the player thats available that i want the most at SG is actually Raja Bell.

I can't see that happening...especially with the cap that low. If the cap was that low, I'd expect to see a grandfather clause or a scale down period where you have to trim that payroll down in a 3 or 5 year period. Otherwise, half the league is going to be released after next season. But if this did have a chance of happening, I'd really like the Bulls to stop spending, or sign players to 1 year deals, mostly tank this season and then pick up some of these FAs from 25 cents on the dollar. Luckily however this situation turns out, the Bulls are in good position with only 2 high priced players on the books after this season (Boozer and Deng). Rose and Noah are escalating in salaries, but everything should be in place, including the new contract structure by the time we need to resign them. Honestly, I don't want to see a hard cap with the NBA. What I'd like to see is a harder cap than what we have now. Here is my proposal: -I like the idea about limiting contracts to a maximum of 4 years, and I do like the idea that contracts are only guaranteed for 3 of those seasons. It's gonna be really hard for the players association to agree to that. Perhaps you could do something like, after 3 years you can release the player, but his salary is still guaranteed, but it doesn't fall under your salary cap. -Institute a salary cap like we do now, but give teams and additional amount on top of the cap only to resign their own players. So if the cap is $58 million, the most you can spend on your team is $78 million. If your payroll is $78 million and you want to resign Derrick Rose to a $3 million raise, you can't unless you cut someone. I have no idea if this is really feasible, but it makes sense to me after 3 seconds of thought.

I'd be very satisfied making the playoffs between a 4 and 6 seed and bowing out in the 2nd round to most likely the 1 seed. I really hope that 1 seed isn't Vancouver or Detroit though. I can live with losing to San Jose.

Wait, is sulley saying that the Hawks would flirt with missing the playoffs, and NewUserName is saying that the Hawks will probably finish with over 100 points? Line 1: Brouwer - Toews - Kaner Line 2: Kopecky- Sharpie - Hossa DLine 1: Keith - Seabs DLine 2: Hjalmarsson - Campbell Those are still 2 extremely solid lines. And you have Bolland leading the 3rd offensive line. You figure those 1st two lines probably spend 2/3rds of the game on the ice, so the bottom 2 lines spend 1/3rd. Big chunk of time but I'm not exactly depressed with the names that are on there. Might be some growing pains, but I think by the middle of the year, we will have developed a competent 3rd line that will at least be on par with a large part of the league, especially with Bolland leading it. And the 4th line is generally considered the checking line and is mostly out there to keep the score where it's at while the first 2 lines rest. The fact that we could score on our 4th line last year was considered a huge bonus. Remember last year, the very good and supposedly deep Sharks were being praised during the playoffs for having Pavelski make their 2nd line dangerous to take the scoring load off the first line. They rely so much on their top 3 to score. The Hawks didn't. I just ran the numbers...last season the Sharks relied on their top 3 to score 40% of the team's goals and 34% of their assists. This includes all 4 lines, their defensemen, etc. The Hawks relied on their top line for only 29% of their goals and 26% of their assists. Now part of this is negative because we lost a lot of that scoring depth that made us not have to rely on only our top line. But we still have a 2nd line that includes Sharp and Hossa, with Hossa being one of the best players in hockey. I'm rambling a bit but I think we'll be fine. We won't be as great. There will be days where we'll be exhausted as a team, and won't get much from our 1st line where last year we'd benefit from getting a couple goals from our 3rd and 4th lines where this year we might not as much. But overall the top end talent is there, and you should even expect Kane and Toews to get better than last year, seeing as its only their 4th full seasons in the league.