Iloveoldstyle

go [expletive] yaself.com

I'm all for expanded replay and everything but balls and strikes (i want the technology to be there..and then i was to play hard to get) The DH in the NL? I guess it will be forced on the NL to adopt before the AL is forced to abandon it.. Would the DH help the cubs in the NL in the future though? Right now I can see that pushing us back in the hole for a season or 2 but maybe if this times out well...we'll have our young contending team and then be allowed to spend big on a hitter?

After doing the math...IMO you won't win that argument... from 1988 to 2012 the cubs have outspent the cardinals about $1,584,000,000 to the cards $1,441,000,000 a difference of $143,000,000...which is less than the cubs highest payroll in 2010 ($146Mill) granted...on average we're talking about $66million to the cards $60million for a quarter century that saw massive change in player salary Most the cards have spent was 2012 with $110Mill your dumb cardinal friend is right in the fact that, as player salaries continued to spike to silly levels between the late 80's to present, the cubs went with the program about as much as any team did by nearly doubling payroll between 02' and 03'...we've spent more than the cardinals record $110 in 4 of the past 5 seasons and last year we dropped in payroll for obvious reasons... $6,000,000 gets you a damn good player when you look at the past quarter century trends of player salaries...we've overspent by 1 expensive season($146M difference 1988-2012) I hope you didn't take the bait left by your cards friend...you're smarter than that, aren't you?

Why start with the AL? NL was here first.... NL East Nationals Braves* Phillies Mets Marlins NL Central Cardinals Reds* Pirates Cubs Brewers NL West Dodgers Giants Padres Dbacks Rockies AL East Jays Rays* O's Yanks Sox AL Central Tigers Royals Indians Twins Spawns of Satan AL West Rangers Angels* A's Mariners Astros Wildcard Reds > Braves Rays > Angels NLDS Reds > Nationals Cardinals > Dodgers ALDS Jays > Rays Rangers > Tigers NLCS Reds > Cardinals (lesser of two evils...i was hoping to see this matchup last october though..we could at least say we suffer from a tough schedule) Rangers > Jays WS Rangers > Reds (they finally get theirs) NL MVP : Kemp AL MVP : Trout NL CY : Strasburg AL CY : Verlander

and this time he's not coming back...ever! No more "Oh, look! they glued my arm back together with pixie dust and now i'm better than ever!" and best of all NO MORE WHINING! congrats on your career as a pitcher...you were good...but you remain a terrible, ugly human being 2nd place could very well be up for grabs if we catch a few breaks speaking of breaks, Ryan Braun listed in biogenesis clinic records If the reds pitchers catch the injury bug the NL central is WIDE open for the taking in 2013 carp and braun may have just jump started the new era of Chicago Cubs baseball! :yahoo: :yahoo: :yahoo: :yahoo: :yahoo: :yahoo:

I just hope we don't lose 100+ games in 2013...that would show that theo is starting to turn it around and should lead to a trend of getting better each and every year

oh man...i voted underwood on accident...meant soler...sorry...

i guess i was talking about the possibility of the cardinals pitching catching an injury bug...that would cause their downfall pretty quick i do wish the cubs had a system in the shape the cardinals have theirs in right now...

thought it'd be fun to get everyones perspective on what the cubs will have and be up against in the division over the next 3 years or so...let's start with the rest of the division Reds : Dusty will be gone in a few years and that could cause a bit of a rift (for better or for worse) hopefully their cornerstones of votto phillips bruce and cueto will start their downfall cause that core can make it easy to win a lot of games as we've seen in recent years...but their farm system doesn't scream smooth sailing for the team on their own...jocketty is a real wild card depending on who he decides to pull the trigger on...but that can also get the low-mid market franchise in trouble..i see the reds as the best bet of winning the division almost every year for the next decade or so brewers : they'll definately hit but their pitching will always be mediocre. financial constrants prevent them from ever buying those extra pieces and there farm system is in shambles due to the deals they've made in the past 5 years...hopefully they become the new astros over the next decade pirates : they may actually be onto something here..mccutcheon will be a star for the next 5 years at least and i really think he'll stay there until his final years in baseball...they still have 3 big names ready to be promoted in taillon cole and marte and if the FO cashes in sometime soon they could give the reds a run for their money year after year cardinals : all of their leaders are quickly leaving, the veteran pitching they've relied on the past few years is fading in lohse leaving, carp deteriorating, waino and garcia are damaged goods and this could lead to them burning their young pitching that will never have the chance to fill out. i don't see how they can continue to be great on offense now with pujols and berkman gone, beltran could retire any day now and they'll be left with their best hitters being mediocre in molina holliday craig and freese. their coaches are now greatly watered down with basically inviting the old 2004 team back into the dugout to replace hall of fame minds in larussa duncan and recently but to a lesser effect mcgwire..they'll have money off the books with pujols gone but with him being gone...what superstars will want to play there? which leads us to the cubs...playing slow and steady for once...we're in an excellent position to have a great team by 2015 and maybe as soon as 14' but when it does happen it will be here to stay with young talented cost controlled players. the names of those players? your guess is as good as mine but i expect to see a few of the guys we have now to be packaged for future stars to crowd the field and lineup...i think pitching will come first which will help us jumpstart into competitiveness and once we crack the bank vault with a few smart FA signings and develop a position player star or 2 of our own we'll be set for a new culture here...it's the reds we need to model ourselves towards beating competition will only increase with the worst team in the game leaving this year...who do u see us going head to head with down the wire in 15' and beyond? here's my prediction of the final NLC standings in 2015 1. Cubs 2. Reds 3. Pirates 4. Cardinals 5. Brewers Really hoping the cards see what the basement finally looks like and stay there...and i really think it could happen

i say we shop for chavez or even scott rolen...rolen might not hit anymore and could only platoon...but i think it'd be a good fit between him and ian stewart...the guy can still field like one of the greatest and not many teams will give him an offer plus cardinal fans would be pissed... chavez or rolen....or stewart :(

if I were running the Cards, I'd be willing to offer up one of my top pitching prospects - Miller, Rosenthal, or C. Martinez - whichever I valued the least, to deal for Castro. If the Cubs are not ready to compete now, I would think they would value an elite pitching prospect over a very good, but already getting expensive, OF like Upton who is signed for only three more years. Read more: http://interact.stltoday.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=920687#ixzz2C8J9mcL7 that wasn't the worst point...considering that the cardinals farm system is exactly where the cubs are trying to get to...which of their top prospects would it take for us to trade with our hated rivals? something like shelby miller, oscar taveras trevor rosenthal would be a good start...

http://interact.stltoday.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=920687 even the talking piles of dirt are talking about it...warning that some of their cards-for-castro trade ideas are the thoughts and ramblings of brainless piles of dirt... "We have a shortstop with play off experience in Kozma. We ought to explore an even swap! Go Mo get that one done!" -- Talking Pile of Dirt

we have got to rebuild...i do not understand cubs fans who do not understand that this will be a bad team for another 2-3 years and then begin a complete culture change... we tried spending on the flavor of the day...and now we're stuck thinking "how can we get the taste out of our mouths?" i mean it's pretty simple..the front office will be flipping and switching prospects to make packages with lesser prospects to get more blue chip prospects...eventually we get our hands on a top 5 farm system for the next decade (hopefully) and THEN we slowly revert to spending like a top 5 market...during that time frame...we also keep the minor leagues with a healthy stock of young talent to compliment what will be a contending major league team... it's going to be another long season in 2013..

Orlando Cabrera? Edgar Renteria sounds like a safe bet projection IMO

http://forums.prosportsdaily.com/showthread.php?t=778244 i have only seen it on other boards...not even mlbtraderumors says anything about this... but are we really stupid enough to trade that type of young talent?