Outshined_One

Red Sox will probably also make a charge at him.

Depends on the situation. For one, I do not buy for a second that Pujols is 25. I don't necessarily think he's as old as, say, Julio Franco. However, I could definitely buy him being in his late 20s or around 30 (A-Rod's age). Secondly, I think people are jusitified in their arguments regarding positional scarcity. If we're talking straight up defense, I'd take A-Rod over Pujols. Thirdly, the stats are quite telling. A-Rod is the better fantasy player because he plays a positional without many good offensive players as compared to 1B. However...I think I would take Pujols over A-Rod if I were running a major league club. After seeing what's happened to A-Rod with the Yankees, I just can't place such a high value on him. He's not likable, he's not a leader, and he is the last guy you want at the plate in pressure situations. Yeah, I know RISP fluctuates and it's hard to assess whether or not clutch hitting actually exists...but A-Rod just isn't a guy I'd want at the plate in the bottom of the ninth, two outs, two men on, and my team down by 2. He's the first guy I'd want to have at the plate if my team were up by 4, though. Pujols, on the other hand, is quite the opposite. He's a back-breaker in every sense of the word. How many heart-breaking big hits has he had so far in his short career? Every time he comes to the plate in a situation where he could swing the momentum of the game, you can just feel the air starting to get sucked out of the stadium. Plus, while he doesn't quite stack up to A-Rod in terms of stats and defense, he is not a slouch by any stretch of the word.

What ever happened to the financial problems of the Diamondbacks? Did they magically fly away when no one was looking?

And as for the Astros "catching fire", as it were...was anyone else watching the Wild Card race this year? Did you all notice that no one wanted the Wild Card throughout the course of the year and the the Astros nearly blew it to Philly, but didn't because Philly was slightly more inept than Houston? Houston was the best team in the NL playoffs this year. Between the injuries and shoddy offensive play of the Cardinals, the pitching issues of the Braves, and San Diego just basically sucking, Houston has every right to be in the World Series. I say good for them, they deserve it.

They do lack the pitching depth that a team like them would need to really compete down the line. There are some guys in their system I like, but unless Capellan steps up, there aren't many guys in that system to my knowledge who can come in and round out that rotation effectively. Then again, with the right trades, that will officially be a non-issue...

Considering I have no faith whatsoever in this coaching staff, I think that as long as Corey remains a player under Dusty's/Sarge's/Clines'/Coleman's/Jackson's watch, he'll never come close to approaching the player he was hyped to be. You could make it a case of too many chefs spoiling the broth (although I'd equate those guys with the "DING FRIES ARE DONE!" guy cooking-wise) or you could say that Corey needs some one who can either correctly keep on him about his approach or who knows how to handle a player like him. Trade him to a team with a competent hitting instructor and things might be different, imo.

I see you lurking. :) Got any good rumors flying around regarding what moves the Cubs are currently looking at this offseason, or have things been quiet lately?

That's overpaying to an incredible degree. I don't think Corey's actual talent is anywhere near as bad as it was this past season and the Cubs have been jerking around Mitre and Wellemeyer since 2003. I don't like the idea of Mitre and Welly being coached by Mike Maddux unless he's in Cubbie blue. I like Clark and all, but not to that degree.

You know what they say about people who assume... I'm pretty certain they didn't do this last year. They didn't. I'm positive. Didn't they put Z on a cottage cheese and broccoli diet one or two seasons ago to get his weight down?

Fox tried everything humanly possible to jinx the Astros in the 9th. Yet it did not work. Impressive.

Eh, it all depends. I agree that the BoSox would not pull the trigger on a deal like that unless some one like Sheets was involved. However, right now the key to this offseason for Boston hinges on what the heck they are going to do with Manny Ramirez. I simply cannot see them retaining him for another season, especially given the fact that he's putting up gaudy numbers, is due a heck of a lot of money, and that it seems as if all sides have soured on one another. Yes, it could well be that they retain him, but that's unlikely. At the moment, it seems like the Mets are the most likely to end up with Manny, but things might change. If this happens, I predict he is traded for some package involving Lastings Milledge, Petit, and one of either Mike Cameron or Carlos Beltran. Adjust contracts accordingly or throw in some prospects on Boston's end if you don't think it's even. If that happens, that should address their need for a CF, but open up a hole in LF to go along with their hole in RF whenever they are facing a left handed pitcher. Geoff Jenkins doesn't particularly hit lefties well, so I think he could be ruled out of trade speculation here. Now, given that the White Sox managed to put a (s)crappy leadoff type of guy in left field for most of the season, I'm curious as to whether the Red Sox would be willing to do the same with Brady Clark in LF. They definitely would be upgrading hugely from a defensive standpoint, but I wonder if they would be able to absorb the hit or not with Clark in LF.

I'm impressed at the sheer lack of quality in umpiring in this year's playoffs. Then again, it's not like the players are overcoming those obstacles.

Alternatively, if they want to add a talented player who would cost them a decent amount of dough, they have the depth in terms of prospects to make a few trades if they so desire. The Brewers are kinda hard to predict now that they're no longer run by a bunch of cheapskates. Couple that with '05 first round draftee out of UMiami FL 3B Ryan Braun looking terrific in limited action down in the Sally League...yikes...

In other words, it'll be business as usual.

Ugh, Uno's outside of Chicago is absolutely terrible. There's one here in Madison and I refuse to go in there and waste my money on what I know will be a subpar attempt at a Chicago classic. It's odd considering that I don't mind Uno's and Due's in Chicago. They're not that bad. And also, people, people, Giordano's does not make deep dish pizza. They make stuffed pizza; there is a difference. Deep dish pizza just has the crust, cheese, and sauce topping it all. Stuffed pizza has a small layer of dough over the cheese, which is then covered with the sauce. Giordano's does not make good thin crust pizza (imo), but their stuffed pizza is a personal favorite. The outer layer of the crust is dry and occasionally burnt, but the inner part of the crust is always moist and delicious. If you want good deep dish, it's all about Lou Malnati's. I hate getting pepperoni pizza from anywhere except when it's homemade or when it's at Malnati's. Moist, cheesy, and really darn tasty. Crap, now I'm homesick for pizza.

Yep. Compare how often in the mainstream you hear about "1908" and "The Curse of the Billy Goat" as opposed to the Black Sox. Some people have tried to make it a curse, but it never exactly caught fire in the mainstream. If the White Sox win the WS, who's next on the list of teams with the longest drought without a title? Giants or Indians?

I don't buy it. Are you saying that the Tribune willingly says to themselves, "Gee, why should the Cubs be any good? We should spend ~$100m on a payroll that never wins a thing!" ...right. What pressure will this put on the Tribsters? The casual yuppie fans won't go out to the Cell en masse if the White Sox win the World Series. They don't care for baseball, they care for going out, getting drunk at the park, and then stumbling out to the neighborhood bars afterwards to get even more drunk. You can't exactly do that at the Cell, ya know? The dedicated and hardcore Cub fans won't jump on the White Sox bandwagon. I think Jim Hendry has come into each season having assembled the best possible team to compete for a playoff spot and the World Series in each year of his tenure with the Cubs, given payroll and player availability. Now, plenty of us question this particular conception of assembling a competitive team. But I don't think Hendry willingly holds back because of the lovable loser concept. It's bad business.

Some attainable players: LHP Jeremy Sowers OF Brad Snyder LHP Tony Sipp Sowers is a pinpoint control freak who could really benefit if he sees action this year and attaches himself at Maddux's hip. Not an overpowering guy, but definitely some one with a nice future ahead of him. Snyder is a lefthanded version of Murton, only with a bit more power from my understanding. Outstanding prospect from a maturity, instinct, and makeup standpoint. BA likens him to Fred Lynn and Paul O'Neill. Sipp is a deceptive lefty reliever with great movement on his fastball and slider. He's developing a changeup and could be a starter, but as a reliever he could make an immediate impact.

I'm unsure where I stand on Joe. He seemed to have a nose for the game back when he played and former catchers seem to do fairly well for themselves when they become managers. Tack that onto his involvement in the Chicago community and how fondly some Cubs fans remember him and you have a nice situation for a homecoming. But, at the same time, I don't know what to expect with him. Does he know what OBP is? How about managing a bullpen, is he any good at that? Would he be willing to surround himself with effective coaches who would be willing to coach? Would he be against playing rookies over established veterans? I'm 50/50 on whether or not I want him here.

So, anyone else still regretting the Cubs getting Novoa, Scott Moore, and Bo Flowers for Farnsy?

Speaking of The Score, does anyone have Maddux's numbers offhand in his past two seasons as a Yankee?

Nixon can't hit lefties worth a lick and needs to be platooned. Again, I will not at all be surprised if Manny is traded to the Mets for some package involving either Mike Cameron or Carlos Beltran along with some prospects (with Lastings Milledge at the top of Boston's wishlist).

Word is that Derek Jeter and A-Rod are both in good condition and are grateful for Nomar's help. :D

Someone may have more details, but I believe it surfaced after the draft that Tim had some arm troubles. He disclosed them prior to contract talks, and the result was a reduced bonus, but Tim could sleep soundly at night. Yes, I believe he actually gave money back, or countered a much higher offer with the 750K. He disclosed after he was drafted, the Padres had him take an MRI and offered him a lower contract to which he agreed. As I recall, it was a shoulder injury that curtailed his stuff a fair amount. He still turned into a decent prospect, but is nowhere near the level he was before that injury.

No offense, but i doubt that many Sox fans care about support from cubs fans. They have a little more to think about then support from cubs fans. I meant Ozzie & the Sox, not the fans. Although their fans aren't exactly shining examples of class and good sportsmanship, either.