Outshined_One

yeah, I'll play... Play what?

Keep it going keep it going...

................. Blast!

Next offseason.

You should have pointed out that you have to be in college or work at one, or for some odd reason have a subscription to jstor in order to read the journal. though, i'm sure there are ways around it... Really? I'm able to read it just fine. Weird.

I present you with one of the oldest statistical analyses of baseball. The World Series Competition Enjoy.

Just wait until Dusty gets confused and bats Alex Gonzalez 2nd or even leadoff. Those were always enjoyable games.

Lofton and Bruce both bat left-handed. How are they going to platoon? Lofton vs. all veterans, Bruce vs. all 1st or 2nd year pitchers. Close. Bruce would get all of the tough veteran pitchers who would make him look bad.

So, they'll be going from tepid to lukewarm?

Yeah, it's no fun now.

Ehhhh...I think the odds of Bruce being included in any deal for Blanton are pretty slim. He's arguably the top prospect in baseball and has the potential to be a multi-time All Star. However, I could see him traded in another deal. For whom, I have no idea. I think it's more likely Lofton would be brought in as a platoon partner to "break" Bruce into the majors. Don't we remember all those fun songs and dances with our prospects?

Good...good... *Rubs hands together*

I'm back and forth on Atkins. I thought it was a mistake for the Cubs to push him to AA this past season, but, at the same time, his K and HR rates don't exactly scream future stud to me.

I think it'd be justified under a few circumstances. It essentially boils down to whether the Bears think Cedric Benson is good enough to be the primary RB in this system. Honestly, I think he is good when he has an effective complement (see: Thomas Jones). I don't think Garrett Wolfe has the potential to be more than a special teams guy due to his size, so I'm a fan of someone like Chris Johnson or Steve Slaton to fill that role. 3rd down backs can usually be found in the 4th/5th round. On the other hand, if the Bears are ready to give up on Benson or think he needs a kick to the rear, someone like Mendenhall or Stewart would be a good pick. The running game last season was abysmal, whether you think it was Benson's fault, the OL's fault, Turner's fault, or some combination of the above. An upgrade at RB might do this team a lot of good. Honestly, my semi-realistic wish list at 14 looks something like this... 1) Ryan Clady 2) Brian Brohm 3) Jeff Otah 4) Kenny Philips 5) Rashard Mendenhall 6) Jonathan Stewart I need to brush up on my scouting reports for guys like Chris Williams and Gosder Cherilus. I've heard differing reports on where they're likely to end up at the next level. If either or both has the goods to be a LT, that'll move them up around Jeff Otah's level. If RT is in their future, they'll be below Stewart.

How far back are you looking?

I like Brohm, but not at 14. If the Bears were picking 18-25, I'd love him there. He may be worth the pick, but I don't want a QB in the top 1/2 of the 1st round. I think guys like that get too much guaranteed money, whereas a late 1st rounder is usually similar in talent, yet much more affordable. I love Josh Johnson. The Bears have been enamored with mobile QBs forever, just can't seem to pull it off. As for Flacco, uh, what's wrong with another Drew Bledsoe? Bledsoe was a franchise QB for a good while, and lost his jobs to younger franchise QBs (Brady, Romo). Bledsoe was hurt by the fact that he came into the league about 10-15 years too late. It's incredibly difficult to be a traditional dropback passer in the NFL today if you do not have the kind of footwork needed to move around in the pocket, especially considering more and more teams either have effective blitzing packages or have very good defensive lines that can generate pressure on the QB. It seemed like every team that had him for the past 6-7 years was eager to push him out the door for a perceived upgrade. From what I've seen of Flacco, I'm not very confident he has the tools needed in his feet and legs to survive in the NFL. His throw on the run in GoCubsGo's video was ugly from a mechanics perspective. If he repeats that, he'll be throwing a lot of wounded ducks on the run. That's not good. Honestly, if Brohm didn't have injury problems, there would be no doubt in my mind that he would be a best QB prospect in the draft. Last season, he was the only good player on that team. He managed to effectively transition into a new style of offense after Petrino left Louisville. He studies the game like a fiend. He has all the physical tools needed to succeed in the NFL. Moreover, I think he is the closest to positively contributing to a team in the NFL of any other QB in this draft. I'd have no complaints if the Bears selected him at 14.

LOL I can't wait to trade for him again!

There were a few rumors, but they never amounted to anything.

That was pre age-gate. I'm thinking more along the lines of trotting out Shawn Estes instead of him and trading Cruz for a pile of useless garbage. I'm still bitter about how he got jerked around under Baylor and Baker.

Thank God we were never subjected to Darren in the dugout. Dusty would only drag him out for press conferences when the press was circling his rotting corpse. Oh yeah, and one more for good measure: "You can tell your uncle stuff that you could not tell your dad. That is kind of the role of an uncle. I feel very much like a father sometimes but sometimes I feel like a teammate. "

Seriously. Did anyone ever see Vince Young? Ugliest QB in major college history, but also one of the five best college players of all time. Pryor is going to be a QB. No, he wasn't one of the 5 best. I can see a case for one of the five best QBs of all time. But even that's stretching it.

In all fairness, Dusty never got his hands on a large number of those prospects. My point was to show that the Cubs' farm system was actually well-regarded and that Dusty actually had exposure to a good number of them.

Damn Jim, you should never have broken the seal. Now your night's going to be ruined.

DaJuan Morgan is on the rise. He could be available in the second round. Kevin Payne might be better than we think, though.

most scouting reports that I've read dont say this, but he does seem to have happy feet. He has bad footwork, a slow drop back, and almost no mobility whatsoever. I'm willing to bet the guy never had to face off against a quality pass rusher during his time at Delaware. I like his frame and his arm, but I just don't get why everyone thinks the guy is going to be a first day (first two rounds now!) pick.